First things first, my wife and I started going out back in 2009, and are married since 2019. We always wanted to have children, and not long after getting married, we started trying for a baby. A few months passed by and we started to talk to doctors on what could be the cause and how we can fix this.
On our ways back from our honeymoon trip, we both got sick with the at that time novel Coronavirus. It was like the worst of the worst colds, and we both made it through with ease. I started having random stomachaches that were caused by anything I ate and I realised that I was getting a severe skin rash from random foods. Who would have known that COVID can trigger tons and tons of intolerances and cause major system disruption that is hard, if not impossible to restore back to normal.
A few years passed by, we’re still fighting on multiple fronts, one being the inability to conceive and the other being figuring out what causes these so random allergic reactions and intolerances that occur. A mix of occasions hands us an opportunity to unite both fronts and fight a single battle. That step was getting a genome testing done for both of us.
After getting the results, I learned that I had severe genetic deletions and miss placements of large gene sequences on both chromosomes. This sort of explained our inability to conceive naturally or through assisted insemination techniques. The answer was simple yet hard to comprehend as my wife’s body was literally fighting against my abnormal swimmers. They do carry my DNA thus hold a copy of bad chromosome structures. Even if a baby had been conceived, it would highly likely led to a miscarriage or having a baby with severe defects. Genetic displacements and deletions occur when certain portions of the genetic material, known as genes, are missing or altered. These changes can lead to a variety of hereditary disorders. Some conditions may not significantly impact quality of life, others can present substantial challenges and health risks for the child or even for inception.
This is where the IVF treatment with prenatal gene testing and even engineering comes into play. We went through a number of clinics and done a few interviews and we finally found one that understands that when it comes to starting a family, parents want nothing more than to give their child the best possible start in life. Prenatal embryo testing, also known as preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), allows embryologists to screen embryos created through IVF for specific genetic mutations and deletions before implantation. This proactive approach enables parents like ourselves to make informed decisions about which embryos to select for transfer, maximizing the chances of a healthy pregnancy.
Through a long ranging discussion with the knowledgeable assembly of experts we learned that it’s impossible to have a baby boy as it would have to copy the Y chromosome from the father, and in my case, the Y chromosome is missing huge chunks of genes. There is still chance to conceive a baby girl but due to the fact that I carry deletions on the X chromosome as well, the PGT should assure us that the embryo copied all of the missing genes from the mother instead.
In the evening of that very same day, we held a company wide meeting and I was informed that all company members had the opportunity to send a message to the Moon in the upcoming launch of the Nova-C IM-1 mission that will deliver a huge payload with infrastructure for the next crewed Lunar landing expedition. That’s where my wife and I submitted a personal message to our future babies:
“Dear future babies,
We went on the wildest expedition to bring you into our lives! Fathom this: you are cherished with love that extends far beyond the moon.
Forever yours,
Mommy and Daddy”
This message is the spark that ignited the Lunar Babies NFT creation as a way to try to offset the cost of our journey of hopefully becoming parents. In case the project is a success and we manage to secure even more funds than needed, we’ll continue to support other couples that are going down the same path as us. We’ll cover the cost for as many other couples that are dealing with fertility issues due to genetic deletions and translations. More information available under the project cause section.
The message sent to the moon carries a profound universal statement that resonates with the hearts of all those battling infertility. Let this message inspire us all to carry on the battle against infertility, to foster a community of love and understanding, and to build a future where the longing for a child is met with compassion and solutions.
P.S. The reason that these are minted on Algorand and not a more NFT popular blockchain is my slight knowledge of Reach.sh and the user friendliness of the Algo blockchain and the Pera Wallet.
