Khadijah's Journey to Preserve Fertility

For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with having irregular periods. There were times I would go months without one, and then times where I’d bleed for 3+ months straight. I didn’t know why, and when I was younger, I honestly didn’t have the resources to figure out the “why.” It wasn’t until October 21, 2019, at 25 years old, that I was officially diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, after being misdiagnosed the year prior.

I remember feeling like it was the worst day of my life. I felt less than a woman because the main thing I became hyper-fixated on was that this diagnosis is the number one cause of infertility in women. My heart sank. I started training my mind to accept that I’d just be the “fun auntie,” and that maybe I didn’t need my own family, even though having one was something I had dreamed of since I was a teen. It was the only way I knew to cope with this new reality.

It wasn’t until I switched doctors that I was given hope. He told me that becoming a mom wouldn’t be easy for me, BUT it was definitely not impossible. From that point forward, I started regaining faith in myself and in my ability to carry children. I did everything I was supposed to do. I went to all my checkups, I took the medications, I had the surgeries… I did everything right.

Fast forward to October 31, 2025. At 31 years old, after going in for an ultrasound to check my fibroids, I was told that I had endometrial cancer. I thought the worst day of my life was six years and ten days earlier, but nothing compares to hearing the “c-word.” I went from having two doctors to five in just days. In a matter of weeks, my treatment options went from possibly doing hormonal treatments, radiation therapy, and keeping my uterus to having no option but a hysterectomy due to minor activity in my lymph nodes.

Everything has moved so fast, and I’m still trying to process it all. In the midst of finding out I have cancer, I also had to accept that I’ll never be able to carry my own child. Again. I had already worked through that pain once, and after regaining faith in my body, I was being told again that it wouldn’t happen.

I went into this thinking that the removal of my uterus was the end of the road. But after talking with my doctors, I learned they could keep my ovaries in place, and that after surgery, I would still be able to go through the IVF/egg retrieval process so I can one day become a mom. I’m 31 years old. Never did I imagine this would be the path my life took. These are things you don’t plan for, especially financially.

I’m so thankful to God that we caught this when we did, and I’m incredibly grateful to my fertility doctor for connecting me with Team Maggie. They’ve helped make my dream of becoming a mom still feel possible. The last thing I want to worry about right now is the financial burden of it all, so being chosen by Team Maggie has been more of a blessing than they know.

Thank you again for all of the support, the prayers, and for helping me keep my dream alive.