"You will never conceive naturally." Those words are harsh, painful, and heard too often by women who want nothing more than to be a mom. It can leave a woman feeling helpless and ashamed.
Christina McClelland is an Atlanta-based author and supporter of women's health advocacy. Christina grew up in Alabama, attended the University of Alabama with a B.A. in English Literature, and became one of the youngest art gallery directors in Atlanta at age 28 before committing to her writing career full-time in 2014.
Christina shares her story as an encouragement to women everywhere. Feeling alone is the worst feeling that exists. It is isolating, and depressing, and lends itself to hopelessness. The beauty of discovering that you are NOT alone can be life-changing.
Couched in fiction, A Circle of Chalk is like group therapy for any person who has never dealt with infertility and insightful (and entertaining) to those who have not.
The main character is a composite of dozens of women's stories. The storyline follows real legal cases from the past 30 years enhanced by interviews with fertility doctors, scientists, and bioethicists.
In Christina's experience, group therapy with other women who have survived trauma was a game changer. Women are blown away by the truth that while individual experiences can be different, the pain that every woman feels is eerily the same, accompanied by the same visceral responses to triggers.
Acknowledgment that the IVF process can be traumatic is important. Naming it is the first step. A Circle of Chalk gets the discussion started and helps women want to live again.
Christina wanted to give women the opportunity to openly discuss IVF and embryo adoption and the extraordinary emotional toll of infertility. This book provides a peek behind the curtain.
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