To infertility and beyond
A COLLABORATION WITH A DEAR FRIEND
As I hear of more and more couples battling with the complex world of infertility and the associated trauma, this book has enabled me to understand this world to a small extent and the toll it has taken on too many of my friends.
Robyn and I first met at university in Grahamstown in the mid-2000s, where I got to know a bubbly and gregarious girl who made people happy, and any Rhodes party that much more fun. As fate would have it, she started dating one of my best friends in London. After a few years of courtship, I was lucky enough to be a groomsman at their wedding in stunning Stellenbosch after they had relocated to Cape Town.
Around this time, I was travelling regularly to Cape Town for weddings, bachelor parties and Two Oceans Marathons, so would see them more often than usual. This was when I first heard about their struggles in falling pregnant. Something I had (very) naively always assumed was a foregone conclusion. Robyn’s book has made this ‘understanding’ seem infantile!
Her account is equal parts raw, heartbreaking and funny and offers a no-holds-barred insight into an increasingly ubiquitous struggle for my contemporaries. The various references to songs throughout reminded me of some great times during those carefree student days.
As much as offering me an education into the female reproductive system (Standard Grade Biology!), it also allowed me to understand what my mate has been going through. We are perhaps not the best communicators, especially when it comes to things of such a sensitive nature, and now I am able to somewhat appreciate the ups-and-downs of infertility from a male perspective. The steepest of emotional rollercoasters! As always, YMBB!
The book makes one think how to be more sensitive and empathetic in these circumstances and emphasises the value of thinking before you speak! As someone with an intense needle phobia, it also made me queasy and in awe of her bravery for everything that she has encountered along this road. I would not even have made it to the operating theatre.
Collaborating with Robyn on the latest published version of her book from a proofreading and copyediting perspective has been a wonderful experience and underscores my passion for this vocation. Is there anything better than helping a friend with a labour of love? I cannot wait for the next project Robs!
To infertility and beyond: My Personal Journey is required reading and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is a book full of hope for all those couples navigating the stormy waters of infertility, full of education for those who have been fortunate enough not to have experienced these struggles and an account for everyone in between! I am so proud of Robyn’s achievement in getting this book out there (and jealous that she is a published author before me 😊) and certain that it will help countless people from all walks of life.
To infertility and beyond: My Personal Journey by Robyn Stone – available on Amazon and Kindle
A topic very close to my heart – have been through this sadness. Will definitely read
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