From That to This

by | 18 Feb 2018

www.susanasanroman.com

On Tuesday 6 February at the Bush Theatre we launched Fertility Fest 2018. Hurrah!

That picture is of me and my Co-director Gabby at the launch. We’re the two sides of IVF – she’s got toddler twins after four rounds of treatment, I haven’t after eleven. But we both know how hard and horrible it is to struggle to conceive and hope that through the power of the arts our festival will improve the discourse around all aspects of fertility, infertility, modern families and the science of making babies. This year’s festival is even bigger and better than the last – 6 days, 40 events and 150 artists and fertility experts. Do have a peruse of the programme on our website www.fertilityfest.com and come if you can. You’ll be amongst friends.

Less than a week later, I was up in Scotland mountain training for my next challenge. I have to admit my head wasn’t in it at first, my head was still in London at the launch. But I’m now two years away from my third and final challenge for families without children and children without families and it’s a big one so needs must. My forties may have be absent of the children I never had but if things to go to plan, I’m going to have had nine surrogate babies instead – three festivals, three books and three challenges, all of which are aimed at making a better world for people who have struggled to create the families they wanted.

Because for me, it’s all about the trade off. My surrogate children may have never happened without my struggle to conceive and even though the pain of what I don’t have will never go away, it doesn’t mean that I would swap it for what I got in return. By the end of 2018, I’ll be two festivals, two books and two challenges down leaving just three to go (you can read about what I’ve already done on my website if you don’t know). But that’s why, in less than a week, my life goes ‘from that to this’ (click on this Facebook link to watch the full film…)

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2 Comments

  1. emma wood

    You continue to amaze Jessica – changing the conversation on a national and perhaps even international level. Congrats on making the front page! x

  2. thepursuitofmotherhood

    Thank you Emma. And watch this space, we could even be coming your way…!!!…!!! Jessica x