Dear Dr. Barmat and Staff,
My husband and I are very grateful to all of you. We know that this is the biggest gift that we have received in our life, and it only happened because of your dedicated efforts and care.
Thank you very much,
A.D.
Dear Dr. Nichols:
Mike and I wanted to thank you for all you did to help us achieve our desire to add to our family. I'm so glad that we found you. You truly made this a very relaxing experience. Infertility treatments can be a very stressful time, and you never made us feel that way. You were positive and hopeful, and that made it so much easier for us.
Sincerely,
M. & K. W.
Dear Abington Reproductive Medicine,
I wanted to write a quick note to express my gratitude for Nurse Liz Manno--she is amazing! I credit her for both my pregnancies, and being there supportivly through both. I was lucky for my first pregnancy because odds were even more against us when my husband was deployed to Iraq for 16 months. The second pregnancy took a little more time, but every time I would come to your office --Liz was ther and I knew I was in great hands. She takes her time, explains everything and is an advocate for the patient. When you're going through infertility, the support from the healthcare team is so important--and I got that with Liz. She is a huge asset to your practice.
Thank you,
J.J.Z.
To the team at Abington Reproductive Medicine,
Frank and I would like to thank all of you so much for all you have done for us. This letter will not come close to truly expressing the joy, excitment and gratitude we hold in our hearts.
From the first time we met, the ARM staff has always made us feel important. We never felt rushed and my questions were always answered. As a patient who has no idea why I am infertile, I would always have so many doubts and concerns. After every appointment and phone call you made me feel confident that I was on the right path.
A special thank you to Nurse, Liz for being there through each step. Thank you to all the doctors at Abington for being so brilliant and caring.
Sincerely,
K. & F. P.
To the entire staff at Abington Reproductive Medicine,
We wanted to thank you for all the help, guidance and patience you have provided to both of us over the past 6 months. We feel lucky to have found such a wonderful practice. Thank you for helping us start our family!
All the best,
R. & M. B.
Dr. Barmat & Staff,
We were patients' there for just two months, and with your help we conceived our daughter, T! We are forever grateful for this wonderful gift. She is our world.
We can not say enough good things about your practice and all the caring and supportive people you have on staff. It really made our experience easier.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
B. J. & T. H.
Dr. Barmat & Staff,
We wanted to introduce you to our beautiful boy. Our little miracle has arrived and he is just perfect! We can't begin to thank you enough for this incredible gift. We are forever grateful for everything you did for us.
Love,
J, J & C. A.
Dear Dr. Nichols,
I want to introduce to you our daughter Faith--she is truly our dream come true! I wanted to thank you for making our family possible. Our journey through infertility was difficult and very emotional, but your compassionate personality was something I needed to make it through the hard days. You never gave up hope, even when I had very little. You are a talented doctor, and your patients' are lucky to have you on their side. Maybe we'll see you for baby #2!
Fondly,
B.V.
I am not sure how to begin. It was such a long rocky road to travel. We started to walk this walk in 2008. We have tried two to three times a year with no success. But the walk was smoothed by wonderful nurses and doctors that we come in contact with each day when we go to Abington or Lansdale office. Every nurse that we met had left us a positive impression, although it would be nice to mention each of them but there are some exceptional ones that stand tall. Charlene and Aimee were so kind and every helpful in our DE process.
We mostly went to the Lansdale office so I would like to thank the wonderful, passionate and caring nurse Sue. We had known her at least for four years. She was very welcoming and understanding to each patient. I would also like to thank Kathy whom she never got tired of drawing my blood and being gentle to my arms. We are also thankful to Karen from the financial office. All the doctors were great but my special thanks goes to Dr Jen Nicholas. It was the first time we met her in the transfer day and at first we were hesitant because we had not met her before but we were so lucky to have her. She became our lucky Doc at our 5th trial. She was very understanding and she put herself in our shoes and felt our pain and the emotional roller coaster we had traveled. My husband and I thank her enormously. Our thanks also goes to Dr. Jay Schinfeld, Dr. Stephen Somkuti, Dr. Larry Barmat, and Dr. Michael Sobel and other nurses we forgot to mention.
Thank you,
A.A.
Dear Dr. Barmat & Dr. Sobel,
During these holidays, there is a lot of time spent with family and friends, but also a lot of time to reflect on the events in one's life. Over the past year my family and I have had to endure a number of life-changing events. Due to your hard work and diligence, I'm able to sit here today and write this letter. My greatest gratitude and appreciation goes out to you both. First for helping us have our daughter, but also because of you, I discovered my cancer. A year later your same hard work discovered that the cancer had returned. I had a full hysterectomy and it has been an emotional road. My doctors are hopeful that the surgery has rid me of the cancer. Who knows where I would be if it wereren't for you--this is something I think about everyday.
I admire that you are both so humble, but when I look into my daughter's eyes and hear her say "Mommy" words cannot explain my appreciation. Unfortunately, due to my hysterectomy, I will not be returning as a patient, but I will certainly refer your practice to others. You and your entire team are very thorough and progessional.
Thank you,
R.C.A.M.
To the entire Abington Reproductive Medicine Team:
Under your care we were able to get pregnant with twins! They were born health & happy babies. I can't seem to find the right words to describe how our lives have changed over the past year. Words that would express how happy and excited and thankful we are. To just say "thank you" is really not enough.
Every time G. & J. hug me, I close my eyes and squeeze real tight. I hold onto that moment for as long as I can. I have never said "I can't wait until they do or that" because I truly cherish every day. I love watching them grow & learn & develop their own little personalities.
Over the past year, I've also come across many couples dealing with infertility issues. I always tell them that Abington Reproductive is the absolute best place to go. The doctors, nurses, staff, lab techs, the whole team is top notch. I always felt like I was getting the best care from the first day I met Dr. Barmat.
You have filled a big void in our lives. We are truly grateful!
J.&J. M.
Dear Dr. Somkuti & Barmat,
Thank you for being in your profession. We are so grateful, and always will be. Dr. Barmat, thank you for bringing co-culture to ARM in 2001, because our son is a result of this assistance! He is now 8 years old and we are truly thankful to you & God for our blessing of joy.
May this holiday bring you peace,
K. K. & I. H.
Dear Dr. Somkuti,
On behalf of my daughter M.S., son-in-law, my grandson and the rest of the family, I write to you today to express our profound gratitude for the expert medical care you provided for my daughter M.
Right from our first meeting it was clear that you would do everything medically possible to ensure the healthiest outcome.
Additionally, your sense of humur and compassion helped reduce our anxiety during a very trying time. We simply can't thank you enough and we will never forget the wonderful treatment M. received while in your care.
Incidentally, your nursing staff goes above and beyond to help the patient and the "annoying Mom". Thank you, thank you & thank you!
All the very best,
E.K. & M.S.
To the Doctors, Nurses and Staff,
We would like to express our deep and complete appreciation for everything that you've done for us. There aren't adequate words to explain our gratitude for helping us to have a family. In the begining of this process, we weren't sure if it would ever happen for us--now we feel that our family is complete! If you could pass along our deepest thanks to our egg donor, who in our eyes is an angel on earth, we'd very much appreciate it! She will be forever in our thoughts and prayers for helping make our dream come true!
Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts,
J. J. & G. D.
Dear Rosanne,
I just wanted to say goodbye more definitively since yesterday I had my head in the clouds after seeing Baby B on the ultrasound. I am not even sure what Dr. Schinfeld said to us in that room after we saw what looked to be a sucking thumb and some form of break dancing. It was so surreal! I also wanted to Thank You for your guidance, for answering all of my questions these past few months and most importantly, being available to me during this process. It’s certainly bittersweet leaving ARM but hopefully I won’t be back for a while if you know what I mean! Until April 1st I continue to pray.
Thanks again,
C.B.N.
To the wonderful staff at Abington,
I’m not sure how T. and I could ever say thank you enough for all the care and support you have given to us. You have all been so kind and supportive from the first time we stepped through your doors and started our journey.
No matter what happened along the way, you all were so encouraging and made us feel that our dream to become parents was possible. For those of us who have difficulty achieving that dream without extra medical help, you just don’t know how frustrating and deflating it can be.
Although we are overjoyed with our being pregnant, we are also saddened to know that we won’t be back again for an appointment. We can honestly say that we will miss all of you, and wish you only the best for you in your lives. You are truly angels to us, and we will continue to tell people of the good work that you do.
Sincerely,
S.&T. M.
Dear ARM, Needless to say, Todd and I can’t begin to thank you and the entire staff enough for helping to bring our two beautiful babies into our lives. Though we are very tired (ha ha), we are thrilled to have them with us. Colin is a proud big brother and is such a huge help to me each day. It’s so wonderful to feel that our family is finally complete. We feel fortunate and very grateful to you all!
Thank you,
G. Family
Dr. Schinfeld,
We cannot thank you enough for helpin us keep this pregnancy! We were trying to have a baby for so long and now we are absolutely thrilled to have our daughter R.R. in our lives. We will never forget the incredible service we received from every single person at your practice. Thank you for getting us answers after our miscarriages. Thank you for all the kind words and encouragement. Nothing but the best!
H., R., and R. S.
Dear Dr. Barmat,
My wife S. and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for everything you have done for our family. We consider you a blessing in our lives. You are a devoted, passionate, competent physician and more importantly--a good person with a heart of gold.
The nurses went out of their way to assist us. Dawn Marie met S. at Wegmans in Warrington to deliver her medications! Charlene, Amy and Dawn Marie helped comfort and encourage us both during the rough patches. Paula displayed profound hopitality and sensitivity during S. retrievals. I watched my wife give herself medication shots & ride the highs and lows of emotion and still we were not blessed with a child. But we were given you and your wonderful staff to help guide us through our journey. Thank you for your time, generousity and understanding. We will never forget you.
Sincerely,
G.W.
Dear Dr. Schinfeld,
This is our angel, our miracle – our everything! Thanks to you and your forever caring, loving and compassionate staff, our dreams were made possible. He has been such a joy and so much fun. We cannot wait until you have the pleasure of meeting him. After all our personal struggles, physical hardships and painful loss, it’s nice to now hold our son in our arms. We could never say enough thank yous, give enough hugs or express enough gratitude to let you know how happy we are as a family.
Love,
R. L. and B. R.
Dear Abington Reproductive Medicine,
I met Liz Manno, RN on my 2nd visit to the Abington Reproductive Medicine office. At this time she was just another face, one of many. I had no idea that as the months went by, I would come to depend on her empathy and caring as my husband and I journeyed through the painful infertility process. I am a nurse myself…ironically working in a neonatal intensive care unit for children. I have always loved babies, always wanted a family and now find myself in this situation where I can’t conceive on my own.
During the months I spent as an infertility patient I had my ups and downs. Each time a month went by unsuccessfully I suffered a loss of some kind. First it was a loss of a dream and eventually, a loss of hope. Some months I spent 7-9 days out of a two week stretch at the office. The nurses became more like family—understanding my situation more than anyone, simply because they saw me almost every day.
I started to look forward to seeing one nurse—Liz. She would start our visit by asking “How are you?” This sounds silly, but people say this all the time, but rarely want or care for an answer. They’ll ask while they are walking, writing or doing ten other things. Liz always stopped, looked at me and waited for an answer. On one particularly hard morning, she asked, and I choked on the words that could never explain how I felt. Her hand on my shoulder was enough communication. She understood my feelings and confirmed they were normal. She would aske about non-fertility related topics and she’d remember the content of our conversations after several visits, showing that she was listening. My 10 minutes with her during monitoring never seemed rushed and I was always treated than more than just ovaries and measurements. I started to consider her like a friend than just my nurse of the day. My questions were always answered with expertise and my anxiety calmed with reassurance and compassion.
This month was exceptionally hard, then I talked to Liz---she can always make me smile! She sat with me and assured me that it was ok to feel overwhelmed and that things were in fact going as planned. I felt embarrassed acting like this, after all I am a nurse and supposed to be strong. I support parents of dying babies everyday and yet here I was, as a patient a sobbing mess! I needed the support of a nurse in a way that I never needed anything before.
Now I go to work and look at these parents of my patients in a totally different light. I thank Liz for the gift of insight that she has given to me. I can now see their pain and their emotions more clearly. I see that they are suffering a loss, even if it’s just a loss of normalcy. I realized that at that given moment, I may all they have for support. I am more patient, more empathetic and now pass that on to the dozens of parents that I care for a year. I just hope that I help them even a fraction of the amount that she has helped me! I know that I am a better nurse today because Liz Manno showed me how to care.
With thanks,
J.L., RN,BSN, infertility patient
Dear Dr. Barmat:
I'm begining to feel much better. I don't know how to express how thankful I am that my path of healing has lead me to you. You have brought me so much strength and courage with some much needed humor.
Best regards,
S
To the Entire Staff at ARM:
Me and my husband want to thank you 1000 times--you are the best! Our son Ryan was born June 1, 2009 and is the happiest baby around. You all have a special place in our hearts.
Love,
S. & B. H.
Dear Dr. Schinfeld,
I feel compelled to write and say thank you once again four our daughter. She is the light of our life and she wouldn't be here without your help. You believed me that something was wrong when noone else did and for that I will be forever grateful. We tried for so long to have a baby and it's everything we've ever hoped for. Thanks for the wonderful work you did, giving me the greatest opportunity I ever had--being a mother. May god continue to work within you and your fellow doctors and staff as you carry out his work.
Sincerely,
C. R.
Dear Dr. Barmat & Staff,
My husband and I would like to thank you for making us fell like a part of the Abington Reproductive Family. You embraced us and made us feel so comfortable. Dr. Barmat, my Ob/Gyn was right--I couldn't go wrong with you! You gave us something so precious that I thought was becoming impossible, and for that--thank you! All the nurses were so helpful, Dawn-Marie, Liz, Aimee & Diane--thank you!
Warmly,
G. & J. W.
To all the Doctors, Nurses and Staff,
There are not enough words to express our gratitude to you. You have given us the most precious gift--our miracle Kathryn. Throughout our treatment your staff was so supportive and caring. Thank you for making our dream come true!
S & C. G.
To the Wonderful Doctors and Staff:
We just wanted to share our little miracle with you! Molly would not be here today without your help, and for that we are eternally grateful. The staff at ARM was so pleasant and really made a difficult situation more tolerable. So thankful for all you did to help get us to where we are today.
With sincerest gratitude,
A. & L. B.
To the Entire Staff:
We would like to thank you again for helping us make our dreams come true! Our son entered the world on April 23rd and he is absolutely perfect! You are an extraordinary team.
K., C & J. C.
Dear Dr. Barmat,
Thank you! K. & I can't express how grateful we are that you helped make our dream a reality! Your team had a wonderful way of caring and making our journey hopeful.
All our best, K., K. & Q. M.
Dear Dr. Barmat, Somkuti and Schinfeld & the nurses and staff at ARM - Liz, Dawn, Dawn Marie, Joan and everyone else who helped us along, Never have M. and I been more thrilled to send something than our own son's birth announcements! We truly can't put into words the gratitude and respect we have for what you do. You have given us a gift that we had only dreamed about for so many years. You also gave us hope during a time when the world around us seemed very dark. We can't begin to thank you for the new life you have given to us--the life as parents! Every time we look into K.'s beautiful eyes, we are believers all over again of the miracle of science, technology, determination, compassion, new life & love. For whatever reason, this was the journey we were meant to take and we are blessed to have met such amazing individuals as we discovered the immeasurable joy of having a baby.
With deep gratitiude,
M. & M. K.
Hi Jay, Larry & Steve -
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And as they say in Italy: Tante Grazie (many thanks)
I am now at 14 weeks and feeling intermittently "super-terrific" (when I am not feeling intermittently queazy & sleepy). I'm sure all your patients get attached to you & your staff and while we were thrilled to finally "graduate" from your program, we do miss seeing you all on a fairly regular basis.
The CVS went perfectly (baby was literally dancing around the whole time, which was reassuring) and the results came back perfectly normal. 46 chromosomes and plus the bonus information: it's a girl! We would have been thrilled either way, but somehow knowing the baby's gender makes it feel like we are getting to know this little person a little more. I came home late last night from my shift and saw a list K. had made of girl's names that he had "researched." He also announced that I am not to be discussing any of the names under consideration. He wants something to be just our secret until the big day. It is pretty cool to see how into it he is getting.
So now we're starting to exhale again (although I don't think we'll fully exhale until we're pulling into the driveway for the first time with Baby in the backseat). I bought one of those belly bands, so now I am like one of my Italian uncles after thanksgiving dinner, with my pants unbuttoned, looking very satisfied that I can breathe w/o restriction of my girth.
Please say thank you & hello from me, to Dawn-Marie, Amiee, Charlene, Paula, Liz, Wendy, Diane, Donna and any of the other nurses/staff I am forgetting (pregnancy brain) at the moment. Thank you again. Miss you all. Will send more updates soon.
Ciao!
- M.
Dear Abington Reproductive Medicine,
There are not enough words in the languages of the world to express our sincerest thanks for your practice. In 2006 we came to you ready to begin our family. We walked out of our first meetings full of faith that someday our dream would come true. You made us believe that it was a matter of "when" not "if" we would be pregnant. Our third attempt resulted in twins that unfortunately were born prematurely in July of 2007 and did not survive. We did not waiver in our belief that losing them was the end of our road. We returned to ARM in September of 2007 and in October found out we were pregnant again.
The care and consideration shown to me by your staff meant more to me than you'll ever know. Getting pregnant was not the hardest part for me, like I thought it was. It was surviving beta check to beta check and then ultra sound to ultrasound. And you always treated me with kind words and an understanding of how hard it was for me to not be terrified of every day.
On July 9, 2008, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Almost a year to the day of losing his brother and sister. It was a full circle journey and could not have happened without your expertise and care.
There are a lot of dr's and nurses out there who know the medical field, but it takes someone special to know the medical field as well as treat their patients with kindness and respect.
We are on the fence about trying to have another baby right now, but you better believe if we decide to we will definitely be back to your office!
Sincerely,
M. & M.. & son M.
Dear Dr Barmat,
May I take this opportunity to thank you for all your dedication and support during our fertility treatment? I know it has being an emotional roller coaster to us. However, you were extraordinarily supportive in our journey. Beyond the call of duty, you were so caring and compassionate to us. My husband and I would like to thank you so much for that. We are also thankful to the doctors and nurses we had a chance to meet. We look forward to our second trial under your supervision soon.
Thanks again,
AA
Dear Dr. Somkuti,
We are now two for two with ARM!! We can not thank you enough for doing what you’ve done for us. You listened to our wishes and had no qualms about performing a non-medicated IUI cycle at our request, which resulted in our second pregnancy success. Your fun and personable demeanor, and that of your staff, has left us with the fondest of memories during what is normally a difficult and trying time. Thank you for your encouragement, faith and care and for helping our family grow. We could not be happier with you and your practice and will continue to spread the word that ARM is the best of the best when it comes to IVF treatment.
All the best,
M&J P.
Rosanne,
Thank you so much for everything. My husband and I appreciate you reviewing all of this information for us. We love Abington because of staff like you, who care so much about patients and patient knowledge/care. It has been a long 7 months for us (in our efforts to try and figure out how to make our dreams come true). We finally feel like we are very close to making it all happen. I will be sure to keep you posted on our progress.
Thank you again-so much!
T.P.
Hi Rosanne,
It was extremely helpful to speak with Dr. Barmat this morning. He answered all of my questions in such a kind and compassionate way, and really put my mind at ease about the issue.
I know I have said it before, but I truly feel so grateful and fortunate to have found your practice. The care that everyone there provides – both the scientific, medical care and the more intangible, patient care – is of such excellent quality. It is really a rare and special group of practitioners.
I will absolutely let you know when I have the sequential screen done. Hopefully, the next attempt will go better than the first try did!
Thanks again,
A
Dear Doctors, Nurses and Staff,
After several months of failed attempts and realizing that time was not on our side, we asked our doctor to refer us to an R.E., which brought us to ARM. From the minute we were greeted (on time,how refreshing) by Dr. Schinfeld we have had nothing short of a wonderful and positive experience! We never felt like a number and were always treated with the utmost courtesy and respect. The staff and nurses were also great and the doctors sense of humor is something we will always be grateful for.
A trying and emotional time in our lives was made as pleasant as possible thanks to all of you. We would recommend your practice over and over again! Thank you again for your compassion, courtesy and of course for helping us have a baby! God Bless you all!
All the best,
K & J
Dear Dr. Barmat,
We never get to see you at any of our appts. after we found out that we are pregnant! We’re so excited! We wanted to say “thank you” for all that you’ve done to help us. Can you believe we’re having twins! Thank goodness you’re so great at what you do and had a long discussion with us—and you were right about every detail!
I just had another ultrasound on Tues. and everything looks great—they are growing beautifully. You’re an excellent physician and we’re so grateful that you’ve helped our dreams come true. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
Love,
K. & C. C.
Hi Dr. Barmat,
I just wanted to follow up with you since you were SO instrumental in us having a beautiful & healthy baby girl!!! I sent the office a little note with her picture announcement but I wanted to THANK YOU again personally.
We will ALWAYS be SO grateful to you and I am sure you hear this all the time but we will never forget you!! Take care and have a great holiday season!
G.B.
Dear Abington Reproductive Medicine,
Just wanted to write a quick note to thank you for all you’ve done for me and my family. Because of all of you—the wonderful doctors and nurses, I will be giving birth to a baby boy in a few weeks! I will always remember all the time and dedication the staff gave to me to make this possible! You have given us a miracle!
"C.O.
To the ARM Staff - The Best of the Best!!
Thank you so much for taking great care of us! We are so sad to be leaving, but we know that we are blessed and very fortunate to be departing under these wonderful and beautiful circumstances!
"W.Family
Dear Staff,
Thank you for making a long time dream come true. You are a true blessing.
B.Family
Hi Aimee,
I just wanted to say hello and let you know how we are doing. We’ll be 17 weeks tomorrow and everything is going really well so far. Our last ultrasound was at 16 weeks and we found out that we are having a girl and a boy! We are so excited, as is everyone else in the family as you can imagine.
I’m doing really well especially now that the first trimester is over. Most days I just laid on the couch, eating saltines! Even that was a strain sometimes! Now I have much more energy and have a good appetite. I’m taking a prenatal fitness class at St. Mary’s Hospital and have been enjoying that. I try to walk a few miles every day, as long as it’s not too hot out. I’m trying to stay in shape and make good food choices so I gain the good kind of weight, not the bad kind.
We can’t thank you enough for all your help during our whole process. I will always be thankful that you and the other nurses were there to support us.
M.S.
Dear Drs. Barmat, Schinfeld & Dr. Somkuti,
Words can't express our gratitude and the joy to all of you for the care and kindness you provided to help us conceive our precious baby girl S. Without all of you, she wouldn't be here with us! You supported us through the years, always giving us hope even in our darkest hours when we lost our dear son N. and our daughter G.
We can't thank you enough for how happy you've made us! I can't wait for you to meet our little miracle!
Love,
J.& C.
"A child enters your life and fills a special place in your heart that you never knew was empty."
Proud Parents,
M&K.
Dear ARM Staff,
I tried it all. You name it – I tried it. I hit the bottom, I was at my wit's end and hope was all that I had. It ruined my life, nothing else mattered, nothing made me happy. I had only one goal in my mind: “To be a mother”. It was 6 painful years. Six painful years of the roller coaster ride through the extreme highs and lows of many possibilities, many potential pregnancies, and many times hoping that this was going to be it, followed by crushing disappointment, over & over times. I felt ashamed, jealous, alone, angry and scared, but miracles do happen. After all the trying“-“, I saw “+” sign. I am now a very proud mother of two wonderful children and they are so worth the fight.
THERE IS HOPE. "L.
Dear Staff at Abington Reproductive,
With your expertise, our miracle was made possible. Thank you so much for everything you did to bring us this much Joy!
Sincerely, B & J
I am writing this as a “graduated” patient from ARMIVF. We started with your practice in May of 2004. We were quickly diagnosed as “unexplained”. After three months of Clomid, and six rounds of injectable/IUI treatments, we were not successful. I still remember Dr. Somkuti sitting across from my husband, W. and I and telling us not to give up, and he believed we would be successful given our age and great outcomes I had with the medications.
We took a break for six months and came back to you to start the IVF process in October of 2005. I was so hopeful, but alas, it was not our time in December of 2005. We had our first negative test result. Again, Dr. Somkuti in his infinite wisdom told us he would not give up just yet. We tried again in February 2006 with IVF, and again we were given our second negative result. We had enough embryos for a frozen attempt and tried in May of 2006. This time Dr. Somkuti had Dr. Barmat tell us the bad news. Dr. Barmat said not to give up just yet. We had more frozen embryos so we tried again in October of 2006. Dr. Barmat called again, and one more negative result. We were reaching the bottom of the emotional pit, but even through the tears we were shedding in Dr. Somkuti’s office, he said not to give up, he believed it would work.
We took a break for four months, and tried one more IVF treatment in May of 2007. Well, we hit the jackpot! I still remember the day when Jean called us tell us it worked. It was the Friday before Father’s Day. The most exciting time ever! We had two babies on the way! The dream we had longed to have come true, is really happening. I gave birth to two beautiful, but early (32 weeks) boys, L.K and L.G. It happened on Christmas Day, 2007, I could think of no other day more fitting for their wondrous arrival into this world. They are such a blessing, and every time I look at them, I am moved to tears because they are so wanted and so loved. We cannot thank you enough for what you have brought into our lives, and we will continue to send you pictures and updates, as you are a part of their lives. I have in their memory scrapbook all the pictures from the three day embryo picture you gave us on transfer day to birth, and explain their miraculous start and journey so far. They will understand what a miracle of science really means.
Thank you to everyone at ARM, we could not have done it without you!
Sincerely,
K.Z.
Dear Dr. Somkuti, Dr. Schinfeld and Dr. Barmat,
I was a patient of yours back in 2003. My name is D.B and my husband D. and I tried for many years to conceive a child of our own (6 to be exact) and we had used two other facilities before finding out about your practice since we live in the Bucks County area. Well, to refresh your memory about our situation, we were diagnosed with unexplained fertility. We had tried the injections and the IUI but the first time it failed. So you suggested that we do a laparoscopy to see what was going on inside and you found a cyst. So, we decided to go ahead and remove the cyst and waited the extra month as you had suggested we did the injections and IUI again in July 2003 and I then got a call from your office on August 4th 2003 with the news I thought we would never hear. Our pregnancy test was positive!!!!! Well, our healthy son D. is now 4! He was born on March 27, 2004. Every time I look at him, I know that he is truly a miracle and your office made our dreams come true!! Thank you so much!!!!
I had started a new job in March 2007 and was very stressed over our decision and then the new job and the new commute and I was a mess, and I figured it was do to the stress and my emotions and then one day when I was driving my son home from daycare, he wanted to get a juice so I stopped in to the Eckert store near our house and I thought maybe I should pick up a test. I knew I would be wasting money because we never ever had a positive test until we got the news from your office. So, I bought one any way and later that night I took it. Well, you probably know what I am going to say – yes it was positive!!!!!! We now have our first little miracle which your office helped to make possible and we now have another miracle and we still can’t believe that it happened and we weren’t even trying. D. now has a beautiful little sister S. who was born on November 24, 2007.
I wish you and your staff nothing but the best in life and every day when I look at little D. you are always in my thoughts knowing that your office made it possible.
Sincerely, D.Sr., D., D., Jr. and S. B.
Dear Dr. Schinfeld and Dr. Somkuti,
I am writing you this letter as a prior patient of yours. I came to you back in April 2006, as a very discouraged and hopeless person, who had suffered two miscarriages, and desperately wanted to have a child.
Upon meeting Dr. Somkuti for our first meeting, I started to feel like I was not alone, and that there was a real chance that I could have a child. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.
After some testing, it turned out that I had endometriosis and polycystic ovaries, and needed surgery. Dr. Schinfeld performed the surgery, and although I was very scared at the whole process, he put me at ease with his kind words, and his simple to understand explanations of what was going to occur.
After all of the blood tests, exams, sugery and rounds of medicine, I found myself pregnant! Your staff was amazing to me. They always took all my phone calls; and there were many calls. I was worried about everything. They always took the time to calm me down, and reassure me that my baby was going to be okay.
On May 8, 2007, my healthy and beautiful daughter, K.C.C., was born. She is the light of my life. I have you and your amazing staff to thank, for giving me the greatest gift I ever had. I cannot imagine my life before I had her. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! Thank you for doing what you do, and being so good at, not just the medical part, but also the personal part of it. From reassuring me, to holding my hand, you made the process as easy as it could have been. K is going to be 1 this week, and going over the past year, I realized that I had never sent you a letter telling you how much I appreciate what you did for me. I will never forget the gift that you made possible for me.
Sincerely, E.R.S.
Dear Abington Reproductive Medicine and Toll Center Staff,
Our healthy son G. was born on April 16th 2008. Thank you for all your time and efforts and most of all for giving us our perfect miracle! We will be back for our girl !
Love, M. Family
Dear Dr. Barmat,
I wanted to thank you and all the staff (at your office and at the hospital) for making my surgery and recovery as easy as possible. Everyone was so kind and helpful.
Thank you for your wonderful surgical expertise, your patience, time in answering my numerous questions and especially for your kindness and caring.
Best Wishes
–P.K.
Dear Dr. Somkuti,
I know I am not very eloquent, and I know I will never find the right words to express what I want to say. But I am going to give it my best shot.
I don’t think I will fully convey the meaning of what your call this morning means to me. I am still in awe of what you are offering me, and it means the world to me…and that is an understatement. I have seen all of you not just as doctors, but as human beings with so much dedication to your patients and with so much emotional connection to them as well. This gesture just reinforces my belief. I know this is a “humane” decision, and definitely not a doctor/program director decision, and that’s what makes it even more meaningful to me.
You have given me the chance to achieve my one and most important dream, and that cannot be compared to anything. I think you know I had ran out of options, and the anguish that it was causing me was beginning to be unbearable. I was trying to figure out how to deal with my reality, in addition to the death of my dream, and I was having a hard time. I now understand how seemingly logical people lose grip with reality when faced with the desperation of finding no answers to a situation—it is a very confusing moment with no apparent way out. You have given me the chance to not wonder what would have happened if I’d had the means to give it a second try. I just cannot express or explain what that means to me.
I don’t know how I will ever repay you for the opportunity to try a second chance. I know I will find a way to express my gratitude—I just need to figure it out first! That is the best I can do. I know there are no guarantees in life, I know this process may come back negative, or it may even be a repeat of the past. I am perfectly aware of this, but this may also be the cycle that works, so I am keeping my hopes high and my intentions focused. And if this is the case, I will always know how it was possible—because of you. Saying thank you does not come close to encompassing what I feel today, but it is as close as words will allow me to get.
Yours truly – R.T.
Dear Dr. Barmat,
I just wanted to let you know I feel fortunate to have had my laproscopic myomectomy at Abington Memorial Hospital with you as my physician and to thank you for being such an exceptional doctor. Before I was even a patient, I had submitted questions to your “email the physicians” link, and not only wrote me back, but called me on the phone to offer me guidance. How many doctors would do that, even for their own patients?
During my consult, you actually took the time to study the MRI film, thus informing me of the accurate location of the fibroid. Unlike the doctor to whom I was initially referred, your plan of action did not include hormone treatments, blood transfusions, or a large vertical incision as likelihoods, despite its sizable dimensions. And hysterectomy was considered an improbability. At some point during my visit, my second opinion came from my doctor. I know I made the right decision. You did in fact do what you assured me you could, without taking these unwanted and unnecessary measures. I am both ecstatic and relieved with my outcome.
And on an additional note, I want to express to you a genuine appreciation for your “bedside manner.” Obviously, my unease with doctors was reflected by, among other factors, the point to which I had allowed this mass to get. You never expressed irritation with my anxiety, became dismissive, or made me feel ashamed, all responses to which I’ve become accustomed. Quite the contrary. Although you did not need to do so, you extended yourself and took the time to recognize it and address it. You exercised both respect and patience, and went out of your way to make me feel comfortable. On the morning of my surgery in particular, I recognized the efforts you took to put me at ease. Though you may not have been able to tell, all these actions truly helped diffuse a lot of my nervous energy.
I would, without hesitation, refer to you anyone seeking services in the areas of your expertise. Should you ever need to offer reassurance to a women in need of a myomectomy, please feel free to have her call me. I wish you much continued and well-deserved success in your practice.
–Best Regards, C
Dear Dr. Somkuti,
This note of thanks is long, long overdue but never has a week gone by that my husband and I haven’t thanked God for you. We first met with you in November of 2006 and you gave us the confidence and encouragement we needed to move forward and do whatever we needed to do in order to meet our goal. “Our goal” you continuously reminded us, was to bring a healthy baby into the world. As our frustration mounted over failed cycles, you were always right there with your sense of humor, kindness and compassion that I’ve never experienced or expected from a doctor. You immediately responded to our emails, whether they were trivial or extensive, and made us feel like family by recognizing us on a first name basis whenever we ran into each other. We were blessed on our third cycle and I delivered the most beautiful baby boy 3 months ago (the day before Thanksgiving!). We can’t speak highly enough about you, Drs. Lee, Schinfield and Barmat, and your attentive nursing staff. While we hope to be able to conceive again without assistance, we know that if we do need your help, we’ll only be in the best of hands at ARM.
Know that you truly are thanked for every day, and that you’re fulfilling a wonderful calling.
All the best and God’s blessings. –M. J. & J. P.
Dear Dr. Somkuti,
Just a note to thank you personally for your support, hope and sense of humor, which allowed me to continue this process successfully. It was your phone conversation that was the catalyst that pulled me out of my sadness and encouraged me to keep trying.
Thank you for all you have done especially for giving me the renewed hope and positive energy I have today.
All my best, M.
Dear Dr. Somkuti,
You told us not to give up and we didn’t! Now we have our beautiful baby girl. Thank you for all of your encouragement and helping us become parents.
Fondly, J. M. O.
Dear Doctors, Nurses and Staff:
I can’t thank you all enough for giving me my twins. Well, my husband says “our twins,” but he didn’t go through everything I did to get pregnant. I am the happiest mother ever! They are such joys! I want more! My husband says “No.” I think it would be great to have another set of twins.
Your staff is always pleasant and professional. The scheduling was great, especially for a busy beaver like me! I appreciated the flexible times that you were available. The nurses were all very informative and understood the concerns and moods that future pregnant women have.
As for the Doctors, I can’t say enough. You guys are the BEST! I will recommend Abington Reproductive Medicine to everyone I know. This is an A+ operation!
I love you all! "CF
Dear Dr. Schinfeld,
I just delivered a little boy—healthy and adorable. Thank you so much for my 2nd miracle baby!
"S.
Dear Dr. Barmat,
I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of me on the day of my laparoscopy. Your confidence, reassurance and kind words helped me more than you know. It was so kind of you to call and check up on me the morning after. I am truly blessed to be under your care.
Sincerely, K.M
Dear Dr. Somkuti, Dr. Schinfeld and the entire staff at Abington Reproductive Medicine,
As I sit in my rocking chair, watching my newborn daughter sleep, I needed to write this note that I’ve been wanting to write for so long. A little over a year ago, I questioned if I’d ever be able to have children. Now I have my perfect baby girl. It would never have been possible without all of you. When my husband and I came to your office, we were broken, hopeless and disgusted. You gave us hope.
You said “call anytime” and we did. You never made us feel foolish. I cried in your office, I cried after testing and cried on the phone. You always comforted me. You gave me hope. I still cry when I look back. You are all angels. I truly believe you are God’s hands doing his work here on earth.
Thank you for your help. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for my daughter.
"CB
Dear Dr. Schinfeld, Dr. Somkuti and Dr. Barmat,
As you know by now, our daughter, S. arrived into the world on Saturday, October 7. Her birth was thrilling and the experience more unbelievable than we ever could have imagined.
When we were pregnant, we thought for a long time about sending a token of our gratitude to you and your wonderful staff after our child would be born. We could not think of anything that would express to you our true appreciation. In the end, we decided a letter of gratitude for working with us for 3 1/2 years to conceive our baby felt best over anything else. Please share this letter with your team. We want everyone involved to know how indebted we feel.
The relationship we have developed with you over the years is more valuable and memorable then you might realize. Thank you for your time, advice, and understanding of our needs as a couple in getting to know us over this challenging time. We are glad tto have chosen you as a practice and will forever be grateful for the positive and successful experience we have had.
S. is a miracle indeed and we recognize this with each passing day. Thank you for helping bring her to us.
Warmest regards, L.H & D.H.
Dear Dr. Barmat,
Words cannot capture how truly grateful we are to you! Thank you for being honest with us, when it might have been difficult. Thank you for pulling out all the stops with our very few embryos and encouraging us that this time, it just might work. And thank you for really getting to know us – you made us feel very special. Thanks a million!
Love always, N.S. & A.S.
Dear Dr. Schinfeld –
I know you see many patients, but I wanted to let you know how much my husband and I are thankful for you and your practice. When I first came to see you, I thought I might never have a child. I was comforted by your realistic yet positive outlook, and knew I was in good hands. We welcomed our daughter, C. P., into the world on May 20. We are so thankful for this most precious gift, which you helped give us. Know that your work has made such a difference in our lives. C is happy and healthy and we are so blessed to have her in our lives.
Sincerely, S. P.
Dear Dr. Somkuti,
This note is long overdue. However, you’ve crossed our minds often. We want to thank you for the tremendous care we received from you and the personal attention we felt. We were confident in your competencies and felt grateful to have a professional to work with with your character.
M. and I have gone through a long and enduring struggle to expand our family. It’s been a challenging time and our hopes in IVF didn’t materialize. We’re now optimistically pursuing adoption and think this may have been God’s plan all along.
You made a strong impression on us and made us feel like we mattered and that you were there to help us. You’re not only a talented person, you’re more importantly, a caring person. We’re grateful to have been in your care. Best of luck to you in all your future endeavors.
L & M
Dear Abington Reproductive Medicine,
I couldn’t wait to write this thank you letter. My husband and I owe so much to all the members of your practice who helped us along the way. But, being the cautious type, I wanted to wait until our son safely arrived. Well, that day came on May 6! Our M joined the R family weighting 7 pounds, 1 ounce at 20 inches long. (Of course, since his arrival, I’ve been hard pressed to find the time to write a thank you letter, so you’re getting this a month later!)
From the moment we entered your office well over a year ago, we knew we were in good hands. We had worked with another fertility practice before finding Abington. They told us there was no hope. What’s worse, we were treated like a number, and were more or less dismissed after they concluded we were a lost cause. Therefore, our initial consultation with Dr. Somkuti practically took us off guard. We were treated with respect, he shared his personal story with us, he answered every question we had and asked us questions to better understand our situation. We were never rushed and the sense of humor (among all the doctors) made this stressful, emotional situation more manageable.
The almost daily contact with the nurses was outstanding. No matter who I spoke with, no matter what time of day and no matter how mundane the question, they were there to take care of us. (Extra special thanks to Dawn Marie who somehow was always the person who received my more stressed phone calls.) With each step of the process, I felt like we were truly prepared and educated on what to expect and why it was being done. In our minds, you’ve perfected how this process should work – not just in terms of medical expertise, but in taking care of the patient as a whole person.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Sincerely, M&D R.
Dear Donna, Dr. Somkuti and all of the wonderful staff at ARM,
We just wanted to take a moment to thank you (again) for all of your help and support in making our dreams cone true. It is hard to believe that our beautiful, healthy, happy, little angels are already six months old! Parenting has been everything we always dreamed it would be – we’re having so much fun. We will never forget all that you did to help make our lives, and our family, complete. May you all be blessed with as much joy as you have given to us! Enjoy the summer!
–Love, A, L, E & E
Dear Dr. Somkuti,
On December 16, you performed a successful IUI. On August 30, our precious S. was born! There are no words that can begin to express our deepest gratitude for helping to make our dream a reality. Thank you so much for all of your help. S. is certainly a miracle and an absolute delight. Again, thank you for helping to bring such an amazing joy into our lives.
—Sincerely, AK & KK
Abington Reproductive Medicine Staff: All doctors, nurses and ancillary,
How do you thank someone for helping to make your dream come true? You all, at Abington Reproductive Medicine, have been wonderful, professional, caring, compassionate, and have made us feel important and special. We feel the same way about all of you. Since we joined your group in 2005, we've been so impressed by all of you and your work. We are thrilled to be expecting, with the help of all of you, our first baby. We would and have highly recommended your group to anyone with fertility issues and feel confident that they would be in the most capable and caring hands. We are so very grateful to all of you—you have helped make possible what we've dreamed of for a long time. Do you know how special each on of you is? We do. As medical professionals, we've never encountered such consistent enthusiasm and TOP NOTCH medical attention. You, as a family at Abington Reproductive Medicine, are the BEST!
Thank You. —J.M & S.M.
Dear Dr. Somkuti and Entire Staff,
It feels great to have a normal life back. Amongst the fun and frolic of the summer, we now have the sweet voice of our daughter around us. And it is all because of you.
When it was all darkness around, you were the only beacon of light. You took us out of the woods without a scratch. May God be with you all.
—With regards, U.K. & B.K.