Baltimore, MD - Aug. 5, 2020 - The store shelves are lined with supplies. The ads are beginning to infiltrate our news feeds. It seems that the topic of going back to school is at the forefront of everyone's minds. Or almost everyone’s minds.

Do you see it? Or maybe you are already reliving it this year, even if it feels different this year.

Now take a step back in your memory from past years. Visualize yourself walking down the aisles purchasing all those supplies that each child needs and then some. Do you see a woman standing alone with an empty cart absorbing your excitement? She sees you. She is taking it all in. But do you see her? Do you remember the look of longing in her eyes as she stands there imagining what she would be buying for her children? Do you remember the look of pain in her eyes as she moves on to the next aisle and holds back her tears so that you do not see the full extent of her agony?

If you didn’t see her then, try and notice her now. Pay attention to her and her husband and others in struggle. Notice their pain. As back to school thoughts are taking over your reality, a friend, a sister, a brother, or a neighbor is consumed by what next steps must be taken to achieving these dreams. Instead of worrying about zoom or in person school, they are wondering if the doctor's office will allow them to begin or continue treatment? Will the treatment be successful this time? Will this time of year ever become an exciting time instead of triggering?

The pain of infertility has not paused during Corona. For many it has intensified the isolation and longing to be quarantined with the family of their dreams.

There are couples in your community struggling to grow their families. Waiting, praying, longing for the chance to go back to school shopping.

So while you shop and plan for the upcoming school year, let's pause and see the couples dreaming about starting their families. Let's take the time to hear them and understand their experience and how you can best support them through their journey.

Begin by joining on August 18 at Yesh Tikva’s InfertiliTEA. Hear stories from fertility warriors and learn from an expert in the field, Yesh Tikva’s Clinical Consultant, Dvora Entin, LCSW, PMH-C. Hear, grasp and begin to comprehend their experiences and walk away with tools on how you can socially connect while still physically distancing.

Gila Muskin Block is a fertility warrior and Executive Director of Yesh Tikva (yeshtikva.org). Yesh Tikva, Hebrew for “There is Hope,” was established to end the silence and create a Jewish community of support for all Jewish people facing infertility. Yesh Tikva provides professional psychosocial services, resources and tools to those struggling with infertility and raises awareness and sensitivity on the subject throughout the Jewish community.