This is the story of a 4-year-old girl who had to undergo cancer treatment and a single mom that had to make a split-second decision about her child's future potential to become a mother. In the video on this page, you're about to meet Asterria Ward and Zoe, who's now 6 years old. This is a happy ending you need to see.
Time was critical. Doctors at UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh gave Asterria two choices, either decide to harvest and freeze Zoe's eggs now, or risk the likelihood that she would never be able to have her own children one day. She chose to have Zoe's ovary harvested and stored, but of course it's not free and times are tough enough for a single mother already with medical bills already stacked up.
Well, there's good news here. Our friends at the Bowser Family Foundation wanted to help out. They're not just picking up the storage cost for one or two years... they're paying for 20! That means that when Zoe is in her mid-to-late 20's she'll be able to decide whether or not she goes through in vitro fertilization (IVF) to have her own children.
And if you're wondering about Zoe's cancer, she's finished her treatments and is cancer free. She just had the honor of lighting up the Christmas tree at the Rink at PPG Place this past weekend.