We received the following email request for help with a book project:

I am writing about the possibility of sending out an announcement to your local group for an online survey to women and men dealing with difficulty having a child. The survey is a for a book that will be a guide on how to help people through difficult times. One chapter will deal with difficulty having a child.

The survey asks for individuals’ commentary on what are helpful gestures and comments, and what are not, by friends and family and coworkers when dealing with fertility issues and possibly treatment.

The book website is www.helpeachotherguide.org.

I would be happy to tell you more about the project, either over phone or by email. I myself am working with the University of California San Francisco on fertility issues. From the amazing response I have received so far from others in my shoes about participating in this project, I thought I would extend this opportunity to other parts of the country.  (I actually went to college in Richmond, Indiana, and loved it!)

Please let me know what you think, or if you have any questions or concerns that I can address by email or phone.

And if you want to see a sample posting blurb:

Have you’ve been amazed by people’s supportive gestures, and plain intuition about what to say and what not to say when you were experiencing difficulty having a child? Or sometimes, dumbfounded by what people don’t do or say? Here’s a chance to educate. The Help Each Other Guide at www.helpeachotherguide.org is asking you to share your experience using either an online survey, or providing an interview about your difficulty having a child. The Guide asks for your recommendations about what comments and gestures help. And what don’t. This is a chance to help people in your shoes get even better support from those around them. You can find information about the survey or doing an interview, or just learn about the project at www.helpeachotherguide.org.

Thanks so much for considering it.

All my best,
Kelsey