My Secret Menorah

Last year, this photo and poem by @abbiesophiaphoto went viral.

My secret menorah

Magical oil
Lit every night for months
In secret
The trigger shot. That lights them all...

My secret menorah.

Not displayed in the window for everyone to see
But the burning sensation felt with each shot
The hope that the miracle will stick for one more night
A game of dreidel - I never know if I’m going to win
And for one more week
The heart will beat
Strong...
Enough
To see the miracle of light
And feel miracle of life

My secret menorah
I share it with you.

**********
Abbie snapped this photo, thinking back to her 4 rounds of IVF + 4 IUIs. She still saves all of the vials and syringes she used during those cycles because for her, they are beautiful and representative of her miracles. This was the progesterone oil that she injected for months, sticking herself every single day, hoping it would maintain life.
**********
Everyone on who follows this page has a secret menorah.
Some are too scared to share.
Some are longing to share.
Others are looking for validation. They want to know that others are also going through this journey. And they also want to know that they have not been forgotten in the Chanuka celebrations that often center around children.

Most people going through infertility or loss don’t share their #secretmenorah photos because they’re too private or a too painful of a reminder of what they have endured.
**********
So this Chanukah— we encourage YOU to share the images that are bringing you hope + light during this time.

Maybe it’s an image of your shots, your medicines, calendar with doctor appointments, your embryos, memory box, gift someone gave you that made you smile, etc - whatever is meaningful for you. And if you don’t have an image, you can use THIS ONE. You can tell a story or simply share this photo.

And we also encourage those of you who are *NOT* struggling to share this image, as a way to honor and show the people in your life that you care.