A California egg bank has gone viral after sharing the heartfelt letter a family sent to their donor, hoping to show the life-changing effect egg donation can have.
The private donation agency YourEggs took to TikTok (@youreggs_) to share the letter that was given to one of their egg donors to thank her for leaving "an indelible mark" on their lives. The letter explained that they'd suffered "a decade of unsuccessful IVF attempts and heartbreaking miscarriages," but after seeing their egg donor's profile, they knew "it was meant to be."
Fan Yang, the director of intended parents at YourEggs in San Diego, California, was incredibly moved when she saw the letter as she loves seeing recipients offer so much gratitude to their donors. She told Newsweek that it "comes from a place of genuine love" and it reveals a beautiful connection between the parents and their donor.
"It is especially touching to see how the donor responds after receiving a heartfelt letter," Yang said.
After the letter was shared on TikTok, with permission from the donor, it touched many hearts online, with over 6.5 million views and 606,000 likes already.
"We wanted to show that egg donors are kind, normal humans and we hope they always feel loved, safe and appreciated," Yang said. "All our egg donors are angels, deserving of immense love and appreciation.
"The donor who received this letter is from Florida, and this was her first time donating. She was inspired to help a couple build their family, and this letter made her feel so cared for and connected with them. She was honored to help make their dream come true."
According to the Pew Research Center, fertility treatments are on the rise in the U.S. Figures in 2023 revealed that 42 percent of American adults have either gone through treatment themselves or know someone who has. That's up from 37 percent in 2018.
But despite the growing number of treatments, it's not every day that Yang gets to witness such heartfelt gestures such as this one. She hopes that letters like this will become more common, as she says it's important for both parties to have that opportunity to connect.
"I think it is so sweet and always brings me joy to deliver any gifts or letters to the donor. It's so meaningful for both the donors and the parents to have this emotional connection that is conveyed through heartfelt words in a letter," Yang told Newsweek.
The note was certainly unexpected for the egg donor, and it left her in tears as she read it. The donor, who remains anonymous, says she will be forever grateful, and she plans on cherishing the letter. It serves as a reminder of how valuable her decision was for another family.
She told Newsweek: "I just remember feeling flooded with gratitude and happiness. It felt like a weight was lifted, like all my work from doing the process was worth it, knowing that my donation was going to a kind family."
How Did Social Media React?
While YourEggs often uses social media to raise awareness of egg donation and retrieval, Yang was astonished to see the post go viral. It was an incredibly touching moment between strangers, but she's glad that it could touch so many hearts online.
It helped the clinic gain thousands of new applications and followers, but most importantly, Yang says it's "shining a light" on fertility.
"It's been refreshing to see all the positive comments about egg donation, which is something that people don't often talk about," Yang said.
The recipient's letter has delighted many people online, leading to more than 1,400 comments on the viral post so far. One comment reads: "Kindness is so so beautiful."
Another person responded: "This made me cry way too hard."
While another TikToker wrote: "As someone who struggled with infertility, I can't even begin to tell you the gift you just gave someone. It takes a beautiful kind soul to do this."
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