Erin Andrews, an NFL sideline reporter for Fox Sports, is helping other women who are struggling with infertility, just as she once did.
The new mom — whose son, Mack, is almost a year old — announced her partnership with baby formula brand Enfamil as part of Enfamil Enspire Optimum’s latest campaign, "Bottle Up."
The initiative has committed $50,000 to Baby Quest, a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to people who are unable to afford expensive fertility treatments.
The commitment is named The Mack Grant after Andrews' son.
In an interview with FOX Business, the California-based sports reporter shared her excitement about supporting other women who are looking to grow their families.
"We were so excited to partner with Enfamil," she said. "IVF is expensive. Freezing your eggs is expensive. These doctors' appointments are expensive. Adoption, egg donors, all of that — it's a lot of money."
After speaking with her surrogacy group adviser and questioning how others are able to afford fertility treatments and alternatives, Andrews discovered that many people don’t have the means to even consider those options.
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By partnering with Enfamil and Baby Quest, the group was able to award its first $20,000 grant to high school sweethearts Caitlin and Tyler Fairres during an appearance on the "TODAY" show on NBC in March.
"The good news is that we're still looking to help more families with The Mack Grant," Andrews told FOX Business. "I'd love to help as many families as possible, but Enfamil made this possible."
Baby Quest Foundation founder Pamela Hirsch, based in Los Angeles, expressed in a statement to Fox News Digital that this grant can be life-changing.
"For someone struggling with infertility but without medical insurance that covers assisted reproduction, The Mack Grant from Enfamil Enspire Optimum can change a life," she said.
"Infertility comes with a huge emotional and physical toll, often accompanied by frustration and disappointment," Hirsch also said.
"The process is a roller coaster of ups and downs … Adding the financial burden of not being able to embark upon treatment for lack of money adds another layer of unsettling emotions."
Hirsch said the Baby Quest Foundation is "thrilled" to work with Enfamil and Erin Andrews to "provide more grants in fall 2024, adding to the number of those who will be able to pursue their dream of parenthood."
One in eight families experiences infertility, according to Enfamil.
This was no different for Andrews and her husband, former NHL player Jarret Stoll, whose infertility journey lasted nearly a decade while Andrews also battled cervical cancer.
The couple's son was born via surrogacy on June 28, 2023.
Since his birth, Andrews has been an advocate for parents "on all kinds of unique journeys," Enfamil wrote on its website.
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"I went through hell and back trying to have Mack and [we] went through our struggles with infertility — and then having to go down the path of finding a surrogate," she told Fox News Digital.
"It was something that I felt needed to be discussed, because when I did go public with it, so many people were like, ‘Thank you. We feel so alone,’" she continued.
"And you’re not alone."
Infertility is not something that women should feel "ashamed or embarrassed about," Andrews said.
"I didn't realize how hard it was going to be," she said. "I apologize to my friends pretty much daily who had babies before me, and I say, ‘I'm so sorry I didn't take all of this seriously before I had Mack.'"
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While Andrews noted that she was able to handle plenty of career stress, raising a child is a different kind of responsibility.
"When you add a small child whom you don't want to let down, and you want to be responsible and make sure he is happy … that is pressure like I'd never known before," she said.
Andrews said she appreciates the encouragement she's received from other mothers, who have helped her to "not to be too hard" on herself.
"I feel like that should be the message, rather than people thinking everybody has it together and figured out," she said. "Because they don't."
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"People just need to be honest with themselves and with each other," she went on. "If you can share your stories to help me through, and I can share mine, it will create a better community."
Applications for The Mack Grant are being accepted through Sept. 6, 2024, at babyquestfoundation.org.
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