+3 images
Main image

Help us start our family

$12,366 of $20,000 goal
Given by 122 generous donors in 2 days

Trying to start a family through fertility treatment. If my writing has meant something to you, this is a way to support us.

Auckland

Hi all,

My partner and I are about to start fertility treatment. It's something we've wanted for a long time, but it's outrageously expensive. With consultations, medication, procedures, donor costs, testing, and everything else that comes with it, the bills pile up quickly.

I've spent weeks talking myself out of posting this because asking people for money makes me super uncomfortable. But this matters more than my pride and if I don't ask, I'll never know whether the people who've supported me and my work over the years might actually want to help.

So many have messaged me asking how they could support my writing or to thank me for the content I put out. I've never paywalled my Substack because these crucial discussions should be accessible, and I won't change that.

So instead, I thought I'd ask this:

If you've enjoyed my writing, my videos, or appreciate the amount of time I spend disappearing down research rabbit holes, and you'd like to help us with starting our family, we'd be incredibly incredibly grateful.

If you can't, please don't feel bad. Reading my writing, arguing with me, sharing my work, recommending my book club, or simply sticking around has already given me more support than you probably realise.

But if you are in a position to chip in, every dollar raised will go towards fertility treatment and giving us the best chance of bringing a desperately wanted little person into the world.

Ani

P.S. I blurred my partner's face as unfortunately people target her to get to me.

Use of funds

Fertility clinic costs including consultations, procedures, medication, donor-related expenses, testing, & treatment associated with pregnancy. Any support will go directly toward ongoing fertility treatment, regardless of whether we reach the full target.

Read more
2% Effective Fee
On average, fundraisers pay just 2% to use Givealittle. This is one of the lowest effective fees in New Zealand fundraising. We charge a 5% platform fee to cover the cost of running the platform. Because most donors choose to top up their donation to cover this fee, the effective cost paid by fundraisers is about 2%. That means around 98 cents of every dollar raised goes to the cause. Learn More

Latest donations

Michael
Michael 5 hours ago
Best wishes, Ani. I really value your commentary.
$500
Henry
Henry 9 hours ago
Private
Amy
Amy 9 hours ago
Best of luck and science to you both! Warmest wishes, Amy & family
$50
Guest Donor
Guest Donor 11 hours ago
Private
David
David 13 hours ago
Really admire your balanced analysis Ani. Hope all goes well with you and your partner.
$50

Who's involved?

Ani O'Brien's avatar
Created by, and paying to a verified bank account of, Ani O'Brien
Page Moderated
The page has been checked by our team to make sure it complies with our terms and conditions.

Help Fundraise

You can create your own page to help fundraise for this cause.

Gallery

Any concerns?

Report this page
This campaign started on 4 Jul 2026 and ends on 4 Oct 2026.