Three Hearts Foundation hosts inaugural Infertility Gala

The inaugural Infertility Gala was hosted by Three Hearts Foundation on Saturday.

The event featured a silent auction, dinner, keynote speaker Amber Cooper and the awarding of the Hayden Gives Hope grant.

The gala raised money for couples looking for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments to start a family. The main award being a “need-based financial” grant, which was named after founders Katie and Nathan Tidwell’s child, Hayden.

Three Hearts Foundation was started in January 2020. It was founded because the Tidwells saw a need to raise money and awareness of infertility after they had their own experience with IVF treatments.

President of the foundation, Katie Tidwell, said it means “the world to us” to be able to raise money for someone else to have IVF treatments.

“I feel like it’s even more important to us because we know what that gave us — an opportunity; so to give that to somebody else, it’s just, it just means the world to us,” Tidwell said.

Nine couples applied for the grant, which was awarded to Sheri and Darvile Hopkins.

The night’s speaker, Amber Cooper of St. Louis, is medical director and IVF director of Vios Fertility Institute. Cooper originally met the Tidwells on the start of their journey through IVF treatments. She spoke about how infertility and IVF affects many people across the nation.

Cooper said she came to the event to speak because she wanted to improve awareness of IVF.

“So, to me, coming to an event like this is to educate, is to improve awareness ... and to really sort of elevate what they’re trying to do, which is they’re trying to improve the ability for others to access fertility care if their insurances don’t provide that coverage,” Cooper said.

Katie Tidwell said they are looking to do another event in the spring.

For more information on Three Hearts Foundation or to apply for a grant, visit www.threeheartsfoundation.com.