For nearly six years, Dimi and Malcolm had been fighting—against time, nature, biology, and countless physical and emotional constraints. What began as an optimistic decision to add one more member to their family had become a grueling journey through failed treatments, devastating disappointments, and heartbreaking loss. Two failed IVFs, one cancelled cycle, one failed ICSI, and the death of Dimi’s father along the way had tested them to their limits.
But when an email arrived from UR Vistahermosa clinic in Alicante inviting Dimi to reapply for a free egg donation cycle, something inside her knew this was different. This was their chance.
Six years of trying and nothing but heartbreak
Dimi and Malcolm’s fertility journey began nearly six years ago when they decided it was time to start working on expanding their family. They started trying naturally, never imagining for a moment that this would be the beginning of a battle that would consume years of their lives.
After six months with no results, they visited their GP for help. Tests revealed that Malcolm had a low sperm count—enough to inhibit natural conception but not necessarily a barrier to IVF success. Dimi’s AMH levels were low, indicating decreased egg reserve. She underwent a laparoscopy to check for endometriosis and an HSG procedure to check her fallopian tubes. Both came back negative.
The only option was private IVF, but they didn’t qualify for NHS treatment and couldn’t afford UK prices. Still confident they might conceive naturally, they tried everything: completely changed their diet, started exercising, attended three months of acupuncture sessions accompanied by Chinese herbs. Nothing worked. Month after month brought the same crushing disappointment.
Eventually, they found an IVF clinic abroad that was significantly cheaper than UK options, even with flights and accommodation. They started with IUI since Malcolm’s sperm count had improved with lifestyle changes. It failed. The following year, they took out a loan and returned for IVF. Three eggs were collected. None fertilized.
The phone call from the laboratory was devastating, made worse by the clinic’s response. “We were not offered or received any after care or advice and even our request to see the doctor was refused. We felt like we were just a number to this particular clinic,” Dimi recalled.
A complex picture with no clear answers
Despite all the testing, Dimi and Malcolm’s case remained puzzling. Malcolm’s low sperm count had improved significantly, yet fertilization had completely failed in their first IVF attempt. Dimi’s low AMH indicated diminished ovarian reserve, but there was no endometriosis, no blocked tubes—nothing definitively explaining why six years of trying had produced nothing but heartache.
They didn’t give up. They joined a natural path programme, made further lifestyle changes, and started taking numerous supplements. They attended fertility shows and clinic open days, registered on every fertility forum, and read every magazine they could find. “We rapidly became fertility experts!” Dimi said.
A year passed. Still nothing. The disappointment each month left deeper scars on their hearts.
Eventually, they chose another clinic—this time in their hometown for convenience. The outcome: two failed IVFs, one cancelled cycle, and one failed ICSI. During this devastating period, Dimi also lost her father to prostate cancer.
“At this time we realised that every disappointment was leaving a scar on our hearts, it was getting harder and harder,” Dimi shared.
A second chance from UR Vistahermosa
At the lowest point of her life, Dimi received an email that would change everything. UR Vistahermosa clinic in Alicante (Spain) was reopening applications for a free egg donation cycle—and Dimi was invited to apply.
She had applied once before to a Spanish clinic for free egg donor treatment but hadn’t been chosen. This time felt different. “Deep down, I felt like that this could finally give us the baby we always wanted. This time I filled the application feeling certain that this is our chance,” Dimi said.
After a Skype consultation and a review of their fertility history by the clinic, they received the news they had been praying for: they were the chosen couple.
“Thank you UR Vistahermosa and Fertility Road for giving us the opportunity to fulfil our dream, we can’t thank you enough for what you are doing for us and we can’t wait for our first visit to the clinic,” Dimi and Malcolm expressed with overwhelming gratitude.
Donor egg and donor sperm: a new path forward
Given their history—Malcolm’s low sperm count, Dimi’s low AMH, the complete fertilization failure in their first IVF cycle, and years of unsuccessful treatments—Dimi and Malcolm made the decision to use both donor eggs and donor sperm for their treatment at UR Vistahermosa.
This wasn’t an easy decision emotionally, but after six years of battling their biology with no success, it represented their best chance of finally becoming parents. The free cycle offered by UR Vistahermosa, in partnership with Fertility Road’s Fertility Journey project, meant that financial barriers would no longer stand in their way.
Support through the darkest times
Throughout their six-year journey, Dimi and Malcolm had learned to support each other through crushing disappointment after crushing disappointment. The loss of Dimi’s father during their treatment journey added an almost unbearable weight to an already emotionally devastating process.
What kept them going was their unwavering belief that they would eventually succeed. “Despite the feelings of frustration and disappointment we did not give up and we maintained our healthy lifestyle and religiously took supplements every day without fail,” Dimi said.
Their determination to become fertility experts—learning everything they could, trying every approach, never stopping even when it felt hopeless—demonstrated a resilience that would ultimately lead them to UR Vistahermosa.
Preparing for the embryo transfer in Alicante
As Dimi and Malcolm prepared to visit UR Vistahermosa for their embryo transfer, they carried with them six years of heartbreak but also a renewed sense of hope. The clinic’s willingness to review their complex history and offer them this opportunity felt like the miracle they had been waiting for.
“It’s been a long battle but one we are convinced we are going to win,” they said with quiet confidence.
After failed treatments at multiple clinics, after financial strain and emotional devastation, and countless disappointments, they were finally approaching treatment with a clinic that had chosen them—that believed in their story enough to invest in their dream.
Never stop believing
As Dimi and Malcolm prepared for their embryo transfer, their message was one of unwavering faith in the possibility of their dream coming true.
“Despite all the disappointment we were not ready to give up,” Dimi said. That unwavering determination, sustained over six years of heartbreak, had finally brought them to UR Vistahermosa and the treatment that could change their lives forever.
Their six-year journey demonstrated one undeniable truth: despite every disappointment, they never gave up. That persistence had finally brought them to UR Vistahermosa and the treatment that could change their lives forever.
“We really do believe that miracles happen and we strongly think this will be ours. We are certain that our belief will become reality,” they shared.
See what was possible for them
UR Vistahermosa Alicante: Nathalie’s Solo Journey to Motherhood Through Double Donation
UR Vistahermosa Alicante: Kirstie and Chris’s Journey from Premature Ovarian Failure to a Family of Four
Updated: 23.02.2026
