Photo: Eric Mailloux
Infertility is a common issue that, until recently, has rarely been discussed. Now, with awareness building, people recognizing World Infertility Week, andcelebrities being more open about their struggles to conceive, the topic is shedding its stigma. But male infertility is still much less frequently talked about, which is why US Air Force Sargeant Christian Borrero-Colon has opened up about his own journey.
As part ofPregnantish’s"This Is What Infertility Looks Like" series, which profiles a range of people’s unique experiences to show that infertility doesn’t discriminate, Borrero-Colon candidly speaks about the circumstances which led to his infertility, as well as the difficulty he had in getting treatment for it under the military’s healthcare plan.
“Never in a million years [would I have] thought there were any issues,” he says of the undescended testicle that almost disqualified him from the military. “I didn’t know it would lead to possible fertility issues.”
He saw a specialist and received a diagnosis of non-obstructive azoospermia, but the military’s healthcare, which covered the diagnosis itself,didn’t cover any treatment for the issue. “I went into a dark place for many years,” he says, recounting the shame and embarrassment he felt.
He heard that part-time work at Starbucks would qualify him for healthcare, so he took on a second job as a barista there in order to have his treatments covered.
“For almost two years I worked an average of 20 hours a week, which took a toll on my everyday life in order to achieve my dream of becoming a father,” he told the site. “There were times when I was working at Starbucks where I was just physically exhausted and didn’t think I could keep that up for an extended period of time. "
Jennifer Perlera
He and his wife eventually welcomed son Owen, and he decided to share his happy ending — as well as the difficult journey that brought them there —withPregnantishto try to reduce the stigma around male infertility.
“I hope to someday be able to help at least one person go through this journey,” he says, “and for them to know that there are plenty of us out there and that they don’t have to go through it alone.”
source: people.com
