 |
 |
|
I have a confession.
I am not a RESOLVE member. Even I, who almost weekly refer people to their local RESOLVE chapter for support and information, have maneuvered the waters of infertility without the group's assistance.
I've compared notes on this phenomena with others, and we've concluded that there are just some of us out there who aren't the "support group type." In fact, I'd wager that a lot of people who use this site's services are, like me, very private individuals who cringe at the thought of sitting in a circle with a bunch of infertile others while bemoaning the last failed cycle, the decision to move to donor gametes, the possibilities of adoption. Nope, give us good old, anonymous Internet support any day.
To test my theory out, I thought I'd give it a shot -- I would attend a RESOLVE gathering. In fact, I attended two: one of my local group's monthly meetings, and then their annual symposium.
Guess what? No one was sitting in a circle. In fact, at the monthly meeting, there was no group discussion at all. Instead, there was a well done presentation by a local specialist on the in's and out's of "A.R.T. 101" with follow-up questions by some folks in attendance. We sat at tables, in a more formal conference style (tables are nice to sort of hide behind and keep your hands busy, writing notes, etc.). Nobody asked anyone any personal questions at all.
That said, I should note that folks did hang around afterward to talk with each other, some of whom were obviously already acquainted. So, it wasn't an unfriendly atmosphere; but it was not the touchy-feely support group I had envisioned.
Their symposium, of course, was like most such informative conferences -- classroom setups with full audio/visual support of the very high-quality presenters. They also had a full, well-staffed resource room for related businesses and individuals to display their wares and services.
© Tracy Morris
