Father’s Day is coming up, and there’s nothing New Westminster resident Darvy Culleton would like more than to be a dad by the time it rolls around again next year.
It’s a bit of a long shot, but Culleton is no stranger to miracles.
As a kid with cystic fibrosis (CF), he was told he probably wouldn’t live past the age of 30.
At 30, his lungs were working at 19 per cent capacity. He couldn’t shower without losing his breath, and taking the stairs was impossible. He spent nine months in 2006 in hospital.
Then, a double lung transplant gave him a new life.
Now 40, he married the love of his life, Megan, four years ago.
Kids, however, had always seemed out of the question because, like many men with CF, his vas deferens (the tube that delivers sperm from the testicles) is missing.
In April, however, a surgical procedure revealed he was producing sperm nonetheless, and there was a chance he and Megan could become parents through in vitro fertilization.
Megan was at work when Culleton called her with the news.
“She was crying on the phone,” Culleton said. “I was ecstatic. I’m a pretty calm guy most of the time, but I was amazed. That was a big day in our house.”
A final obstacle standing in their way now is money, and the couple has launched a crowd-funding campaign to pay for their dream of becoming parents.
It’s a frustrating obstacle to have to overcome, they said, since the procedures are publicly funded in other provinces, like Quebec and Ontario.
Because of Culleton’s medical needs, however, relocating isn’t an option – nor is saving up.
“A normal couple, they would either have some savings or they would say, ‘OK, this is what needs to happen. We’ll start saving,’” Megan said. “Because of Darvy’s situation, we don’t have that kind of time.”
Culleton is on disability, and the stark reality is the couple could simply run out of time trying to save enough from Megan’s salary.
Culleton suffers from chronic rejection, a process by which the body’s constant immune response against transplanted organs slowly damages them.
“He has no immune system,” Megan said, “so the smallest thing can end him up in the hospital, so it’s a very fragile situation for him to begin with.”
His condition is under control for now, so the couple sees this as their one shot at a family.
“It’s super emotional because we only get one chance,” Culleton said. “We don’t get a second chance to try this.”
His wife would make an excellent mom, he said, and he himself has always wanted to be a dad.
“It’s one of those things,” he said. “I’ve always thought I’d be good as a dad. I’ve always looked forward to wearing matching Adidas tracksuits and teaching my son or my daughter to ride BMX and just be cool like that. It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do.”
The couple is looking to raise $13,500.
For more information, visit www.gofundme.com/darvy-and-megans-ivf-fund.
