The Infertility Disease

So, did you know it's National Infertility Awareness Week? I didn't either. April also happens to be National Poetry Month, National Manatee Awareness Month, National Marching Band Appreciation Month, and National Arab-American Heritage Month.

I discovered National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW for those acronym-ically inclined) when I was perusing Facebook, and a law school acquaintance had posted this as her status:

"April 24 - May 1st is National Infertility Awareness Week. Please take a minute to empathize with the couples struggling to achieve a family. And if you really want to be helpful, don't ask a childless couple when they plan to have kids. Or ask parents of an only child when they plan on another. Or tell a couple who are struggling "to relax." Or tell them that infertility is "God's will." Or to "just adopt!""

I'm pretty sure I was telling you this just the other day.

So, I was relaying this to Jeff last night while we were walking the dog. He asked if there were ribbons. So, I went to my trusty search engine and found that green ribbons are, in fact, available. For your information, I will not be sporting a green ribbon this week. That seems to be an invitation to disaster. It'd be like wearing a big name tag that reads, "Hi! My name is Katie! Ask me today about my struggle with infertility!"

But here's the thing that really got to me. I went to the NIAW website and the following fact was posted, front and center: "National Infertility Awareness Week is a movement to raise awareness about the disease of infertility which affects 7.3 million Americans."

Disease.

Disease.

You've got to be kidding me. Webster's Dictionary defines the term "disease" as an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs normal bodily function. It manifests itself with specific signs and symptoms. Over the past few weeks, I've felt and thought a lot of different things about myself, but I've never thought of myself as a person with a disease. But according to Webster, I guess I've got the infertility disease. If you take the NIAW at their word, then it's apparently a normal bodily function for women to get pregnant and have children. Women who can't have children are, apparently sick. After all, we have a disease.

This whole concept of being "diseased" has led me to ignore the week designated for the infertile. So, for the remaining days in April, I will be devoting my attention to the other groups being honored this month. So, expect to find me in a coffee shop, listening to some Arabic prose, while reading a book about manatees, with an iPod play list devoted to great marching bands.