HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — When Ellie Graff sees her young cousins or even hears them in a video, her face lights up.
"That really made us want to have another child," said Ellie's mom, Jennifer. "One that can play with Ellie and they can bond and she can have a sibling."
It sounds like any parent's dream, but it brings a difficult reality for Jennifer and her husband Josh. Ellie has Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia Type 2A, or PCH. It is a rare genetic degenerative disorder.
"We're both carriers," said Josh. "So there is a 1 in 4 chance that any kid we have could have the same disease as Ellie and a 50% chance that they could be a carrier like we are."
They say the best way to prevent that is through in vitro fertilization, or IVF, with added genetic testing for PCH.
"It's another $5,000 just for the genetic testing for that specific test," said Josh.
Between the testing, medications and procedures, costs add up to well above $20,000. The Graffs already sold one of their cars and took out a loan.
"We're picking up side hustles left and right just to make ends meet for it," said Josh.
Through it all, they've never felt alone. Jennifer started sharing her journey through Facebook and TikTok videos.
"People have asked me questions that are looking into IVF, or other people that I didn't know who did it have contacted me and said 'I know exactly what you're going through,'" she said.
Central Georgians also donated to a GoFundMe for the Graffs, and even bought some of Ellie's paintings.
"People we don't even know on Facebook have followed our journey since Ellie was born and they show so much love and support, we're just so grateful for that," said Jennifer.
The Graffs are no strangers to the support of the Central Georgia community. In 2021, people and businesses teamed up to help build Ellie a pool in her backyard.
Jennifer already went through the egg retrieval process on her IVF journey and the couple was able to send five embryos for genetic testing. They hope at least one will come back without the genetic disorder so they can continue their dream of making Ellie a big sister.
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