Sarah, IVF and Hope: Why This Doll Has Meaning in Our Family
Sarah’s story includes a custom art doll, a significant purchase, and the conversations Raven and I were having about family, support and uncertainty.
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Raven’s perspective belongs in the conversation
In this May 2026 feature, Raven sits down with me to talk about our family and the meaning behind Sarah. Reborn collecting is mainly my hobby, so I appreciate hearing Raven explain her own support in her own words. She does not have to share every interest I have to care about what it means to me.
We talk about a long relationship, raising our son, working together and the ordinary decisions that surround a purchase as significant as a custom doll. Sarah was not something I wanted to discuss as though it existed outside the rest of our family’s life.
The difficult experiences behind our hopes
Our son’s difficult birth and NICU stay were frightening. My kidney illness, dialysis and transplant journey also shaped what early parenthood looked like for us. In the video, Raven and I reflect on how those experiences affected the possibility of having another child and the time it took to feel ready to discuss it.
At the time of the recording, we were exploring IVF and other possibilities while dealing with medical, genetic and financial questions. This is a record of what we shared then, not an announcement of a later outcome or advice about which fertility option another family should choose.
Why Sarah was a meaningful purchase
Sarah is my custom partial silicone doll. The price was a serious consideration, and we talk openly about the balance between family responsibilities and an emotional purchase. Holding a realistic doll gave me a tangible way to connect with a hope we had not given up.
I describe her as an anchor for that feeling. I know she is a doll, and our wish for a child remains a separate, real part of our lives. Her meaning is personal; it does not make reborn collecting a treatment for infertility or a replacement for medical care, family relationships or support.
Support does not require identical interests
Raven talks about seeing the happiness and calming presence the dolls can bring me, even though collecting them is not really her thing. The clothes she chooses and her willingness to have this conversation are some of the ways that support appears in our life.
What I hope viewers hear is the care between the two people having the conversation. A doll can carry a story, but it is our faith, our family and the way we listen to each other that give that story its place. Sarah belongs within that picture, rather than taking the place of it.
