Blog written by CLI Lab Director Michelle Ottey, PhD, HCLD
GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!! That was the subject line of an email I recently received. Being the Lab Director, I do not have a lot of patient contact. I work with the lab staff and the Compliance Officer, but ever so often I have the chance to work directly with a patient.
Several months ago our Director of Client Services contacted me because there had been an inquiry about one of our donors who had no samples available for purchase at the time, he had a wait list. I replied directly to the inquiry and had a lovely exchange with the patient. She and her wife had found the “perfect donor” match and really wanted to make it work. We emailed about the process that the donors go through and the required quarantine of 180 days for all samples. I was able to tell her that this donor was in fact due for a draw and so the possibility was that vials would become available, but it is always dependent on the testing.
Everything worked out smoothly and as soon as vials were available they purchased them, enough to keep some in storage for a sibling. The patient was ecstatic.
Several months went by and on a Monday morning I was thinking of them, thinking that they must have had their insemination and could be pregnant. Later that day I got the email that confirmed that they were indeed pregnant. We had another lovely series of emails.
Now I am looking forward to the email in my inbox with a picture of their baby.
