Advocacy Day 2020: A "Virtual"Victory!

Today is May 25, 2020, just 5 days after Advocacy Day, and here’s our current situation.

Schools are canceled.

Sports are canceled.

Weddings and graduations… canceled.

Restaurants, bars, nail & hair salons, health clubs, movies are closed… even Broadway has shut down. Virtually everything has come to a screeching halt.

People are sheltering at home because there is a global pandemic. Michigan’s Governor Whitmer has recently extended our state’s lockdown until June 12… and who knows what will happen after that? At the time of this publication, Coronavirus has taken the lives of nearly 100,00 people in the USA. Our economy is in the worst shape since the Great Depression. And nearly 40 million US citizens have filed for unemployment.

The world is in the throes of a global pandemic of epic proportions.

For the infertility community, the impacts from Coronavirus are unique and heartbreaking. Adoptions and surrogacy pairings have been postponed. IVF cycles have been canceled. Even patients who had developing embryos were not allowed to have their embryos transferred (IVF is considered non-essential). As March rolled into April, my co-chair and I had to postpone our second annual Detroit, MI Walk of Hope. And as April transitioned into May, we were still under quarantine. I was sure that RESOLVE would have to cancel Infertility Advocacy Day in Washington DC.

Millions had to cancel trips, cruises and flights due to COVID-19.

I was extremely eager to attend the 2020 Advocacy Day, and had made my hotel reservations at the first possible moment in order to ensure I’d be in the block of rooms reserved for my fellow advocates. I was looking forward to seeing everyone again, walking the famous steps on Capitol Hill and meeting with my Senators and Representatives about PRO FAMILY legislation. Advocating for those who struggle to build their families has made a profound impact on my life. It’s incredibly empowering to be a part of democracy in action, and to have our voices heard regarding bills that can make it much easier battling infertility. This year, I didn’t feel like a new advocate anymore. This would’ve been my third year attending Advocacy Day, and my second year as Michigan’s State Captain. I’m a true veteran now. I know the drill and was excited to climb those steps and walk those hallowed halls in congress again.

Sue Johnston, proudly holding the Michigan State Captain sign at Advocacy Day in 2018.

But then Coronavirus hit! I was convinced that COVID-19 would cause Advocacy Day to be canceled too. But I was wrong. Since people couldn’t fly into Washington DC in the thick of a global pandemic, RESOLVE/ASRM decided to hold a Virtual Advocacy Day. To be 100% honest, I was skeptical as to how RESOLVE/ASRM was going to pull this whole event off. I mean, everything else under the sun was canceled. Why would Advocacy Day be any different? How were we going to discuss important PRO FAMILY legislation without sitting down face to face with our Senators and Representatives to have our voices heard? How were we going to learn the key talking points? How would be be able to collaborate and share ideas with fellow advocates? And what about the whole experience of networking with other like-minded infertility warriors/advocates? There was NO WAY the experience could be replicated and made into a virtual event.

But, as I am writing this five days after Advocacy Day, the better question I should’ve asked myself was why did I ever doubt that RESOLVE/ASRM couldn’t pull it off? If anyone could do it, they could, right? After all… nearly all the people working at RESOLVE headquarters were infertility warriors who innately possess a warrior mentality. If anyone is up to the challenge, these people are. Most other advocacy groups had already canceled advocating altogether due to the Coronavirus, but not RESOLVE! To drive this point home, the very title of the organization’s name, RESOLVE, signifies that they will get the job done.

This is one of the ZOOM backgrounds we used for our virtual meetings We are RESOLVE STRONG! #IREPRESENT

I was so impressed with every detail that the amazing planning committee and our “Warrior in Chief,” (RESOLVES’s CEO) Barb Collura executed. I won’t take the time to mention every single member of the committee, nor every “tool” that was available in our “toolbox” of resources on the RESOLVE website, to help prepare for Advocacy Day. But suffice it to say, it was clearly obvious that an overwhelming amount of work had to be done in a very few short weeks behind the scenes from an amazing army of volunteers. They worked tirelessly and kept us informed and updated every step of the way. Our first virtual Advocacy Day was a HUGE VICTORY!

Some of the resources I especially loved were the webinars, namely the one for State Captains and the 5 minute session on the website of what a Congressional meeting sounds like. I also loved the printed information, such as the talking points, our scripts and the “Leave Behind” legislation brochure. And I am certain, by the number of photos I saw in our Advocacy Day Attendees Facebook group, that I speak for everyone when I say that we all loved our social media resources, (ie. our selfie signs and social media posts.) These tools made it so easy for our delegation to stay on task and be prepared.

RSOLVE thinks of everything. This is just one of the resources we could leave with our senators and representatives. It helped them to become familiar with our legislation and helped the delegates know all the details of the bills for which we were advocating.

And last, but certainly not least, I want to give a huge shout out to our amazing Michigan delegation. I could not have asked for a better (nor more diversified) team of advocates. Although there were only five of us, we were powerful! Each of us was informed, punctual, heartfelt, articulate and polished. We had two advocates who were in the throes of their family building journey. Their stories brought tears to our eyes and illustrated the profound impact the disease of infertility has on people. They highlighted the importance of our PRO FAMILY legislation, especially the need for insurance coverage. Infertility treatments are astronomically expensive and many couples save every dollar and burn through their entire life savings to afford treatment. Another one of our Michigan advocates is reproductive endocrinologist. She adds a medical perspective and works first hand with infertility patients who try to overcome a myriad of obstacles in order to have a baby. In addition, she was able to clearly express the need for $1.6B in appropriations for infertility research. My husband, Bob, and I add a different dimension to our advocate stories. Bob and I resolved our unexplained infertility 26 years ago after our decade long struggle. We were one of the lucky couples. We had our miracle son on May 1, 1994 after we transferred a total 40 embryos and completed 7 rounds of IVF. We could have put our painful journey in a box and never talked about infertility again. However, something nudged us on. We want to turn our pain into purpose and advocate for those who still struggle so that others may not have a journey as long and as difficult as ours. So… as you can see, we are a small, but incredibly mighty team of Michigan delegates. As their State Captain, I want to express what a privilege and an honor it was to work with them.

In closing, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. I’d like to leave you with some photos of our Michigan delegation. You can see from the smiles on our faces, that we were proud to be the voices of infertility. We advocated with every fiber of our being and hope we can help bring about change. Thanks to each and every one of you out there who made Advocacy Day 2020, a VIRTUAL VICTORY!

LeAndrea Fisher of Hope in Fertility. LeAndrea has struggled with infertility for 15 years of her marriage. She is a public school teacher, an infertility advocate and the founder of Hope in Fertility support group in Detroit, MI. She is also the co-chair of The Detroit, MI Walk of Hope and is passionate about helping others, while she is trying to build her own family.

Layelle Beydoun is a first time advocate. She struggles with diminished ovarian reserve and male factor infertility. IVF is her only option to build her family. Layelle advocates to help obtain affordable access to care.

Dr. Karen Wheeler is a reproductive endocrinologist from Reproductive Medical Associates of Michigan. Dr. Wheeler ‘s patients encounter every kind of infertility obstacle and she wants to ensure there are federal appropriations in order to conduct further research on the disease of infertility.

CAPTAIN Robert E. Johnston, US NAVY (retired) advocates to ensure that coverage for IVF for Veterans becomes permanent. CAPT Johnston and his wife, Sue Johnston, struggled with infertility for a decade of their lives while he was an active duty officer, often going to sea for 6 months at time.

Sue Johnston, founder of The In-Fertility Advocate, is a ten-year infertility survivor, author of Detours: Unexpected Journeys of Hope Conceived from Infertility, an infertility advocate, RESOLVE support group leader, Detroit, Michigan Walk of Hope Co-Chair, and Infertility Helpline Volunteer. Sue is passionate about helping others who struggle with the disease of infertility because no one should have to walk this journey alone.

Sue and Bob Johnston in front of their home in Brighton, MI. This is what Advocacy Day looks like in 2020.

Sue and Bob were just two of 400 advocates from all 50 states who participated in virtual Advocacy Day 2020. This is what we call, “Democracy in Action!”

If you or someone you know is struggling to build their family, please do not hesitate to message me. I am here for you!

In-Fertility & Friendship,

Sue Johnston