A second chance at motherhood.

On today’s Up To Speed, we shared an exciting update regarding V Teamer Irene DeRouen, a project manager for the Global Networks & Technology team in Houston.

You may remember Irene from previous Up To Speed episodes; just a few weeks back, she shared how her day-to-day insights as a project manager have given her a profound appreciation for the work that goes into ensuring our top-notch network performance.

Irene, who was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome at the age of 16, always knew she wanted children but understood it wouldn’t be the easiest journey, nor the most conventional.

Last June, we shared an inspiring Up To Speed episode detailing Irene’s Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) journey. Determined to start her own family, she underwent two rounds of IUI, which helped her have her son, who’s now eleven years old.

When Irene’s son was six, he began asking her if he could have siblings. Although she’s always wanted a big family, Irene understood that the journey to have more children would come at a cost. But thanks to Verizon’s medical benefits, the financial burden has been greatly reduced.

“Without insurance, it's probably roughly around like $30,000 to $40,000, just one transfer,” Irene said. “So, if I look at just the insurance plan that we have, it was very eye opening to me – and even talking to my doctor, he's like, it’s better than mine.”

Three years ago, empowered by the quality of Verizon’s benefits and determined to expand her family, Irene began the IVF process, completing two egg retrievals and six rounds of transfers – all costing her roughly $10,000.

This past February, she completed another transfer, and a week later found out that she’s expecting her second child and is due in November 2023.

Irene’s son is elated to be a big brother, and she’s enjoying soaking in these special moments that are all part of the process.

“When I got to hear the heartbeat,” Irene said, “that was the moment where I was like, okay, our family gets to expand, and this is something that I've been looking forward to for a really long time.”

Irene understands that a lot will go into this process — physically, mentally and emotionally — and says she’s incredibly grateful to have a supportive manager and a really good therapist that she was able to find through our Employee Assistance Program.

“Being able to kind of find that has made the experience enjoyable versus just stressful,” said Irene. “Once you kind of find that and know like, hey, like everything's going to align, then things work out.”

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