Shannon Smyczek: A Dump Truck of Mercy at Our Lady of Hope Clinic

Shannon Smyczek first walked into Our Lady of Hope Clinic as a volunteer for our Free Clinic. Through her experience she learned about our Fertility and Women’s Health Care then later became a patient herself. Thanks to Dr. Mike at Our Lady of Hope Clinic, help she is now a mother of several children.

She Found the Mission Before She Found the Medicine

Shannon was an intern at St. Paul’s University Catholic Student Center in Madison when she first heard of the clinic she “...immediately fell in love with the mission of Our Lady of Hope and started volunteering there."

She did not know what NaPro was at the time. As she volunteered she began to hear more about the NaPro care Our Lady of Hope Clinic provides and began to wonder if this was the answer to the questions she had been asking since high school. Growing up, she never experienced a regular cycle. “When I brought this up to my primary care provider, they offered birth control, which I felt was more of a Band-Aid solution and didn’t really get to the heart of my concerns of what might be wrong.”

Dr. Mike’s fertility and women’s health care looked like the opposite of that visit. “I was really drawn to the services that Dr. Mike offers and was hopeful that he could provide a deeper answer for me.”

NaPro Told the Truth About Her Body

As she got engaged, Shannon began the Creighton Model of cycle tracking, something NaPro technology works closely with.

“It was overall a very empowering experience… to share this with my spouse. And it really deepened and enriched our relationship and continues to do so.”

Natural Procreative Technology (NaPro), she explained, “really respects the woman’s body.” It is meant for PMS, recurrent miscarriages, infertility and to go further than a prescription that only masks symptom. “Dr. Mike looks at a woman’s history, having tracked with NFP, to identify patterns in order to diagnose and then treat whatever particular situation.”

A Week to Decide If It Was Now or Never

Dr. Mike diagnosed Shannon with PCOS, which can make it harder to conceive. Then, early in their marriage, her husband was diagnosed with testicular cancer. They had one week between when he was diagnosed and when the surgery was scheduled. They did not know how chemo and radiation would affect his fertility.

“We were faced with a situation of not knowing if it could be now or never in terms of growing our family. So we reached out to Dr. Mike right away and he responded immediately.” He prescribed progesterone, which, with her PCOS, supported both the chance to conceive and the chance to carry to term.

“Truly, we are so grateful,” Shannon says. “Every baby is a miracle, but she feels like a special miracle.”

When she is asked how the journey changed their life, she explains. “I cannot imagine our family’s life without Our Lady of Hope Clinic. I just look at our children and I am profoundly grateful for Dr. Mike and the entire team.”

Maria Was Treated as a Daughter, Not a Diagnosis

Shannon is clear that Dr. Mike’s Catholic faith is not just a nice sentiment tossed around. “It’s such a unique gift for Dr. Mike to be such a strongly rooted Catholic and to be able to offer these services to women who really need it.”

This became evident in her second pregnancy. At a 20-week anatomy scan (not at Our Lady of Hope Clinic), their daughter Maria was diagnosed with a life-limiting condition. Shannon and her husband recognized the gravity of the news. They also recognized that the way it was delivered did not hold the dignity of every human life.

“It was a great consolation for our family to be able to then share these results with Dr. Mike and have him interpret them also with the light of faith and recognizing that Maria has full dignity.” Shannon explained. This is a consolation that most families facing these challenges are not given.

Maria lived for about forty minutes after she was born. Shannon was grateful the clinic stayed pro-life when the news was difficult. “He was able to reassure us that it would not change the prenatal care that we would give her in order to give her the very best chance at life.”

“Knowing that Dr. Mike is rooted in the Catholic faith is a great comfort. We don’t have to discern and decipher the opinions that he’s giving us. We know that it’s going to be solid.”

Root Cause, Not a Band-Aid

What she values in NaPro is simple. “NaPro technology works with the woman’s body, not necessarily viewing it as something wrong.” It goes deeper than a Band-Aid, looking for the root cause so a woman doesn’t just achieve pregnancy, but finds the reason and solution for the infertility she is experiencing. Most women are able to then go on and conceive many more healthy children with little intervention.

As Shannon reflects on her time at the clinic she says, “I will always remember the impact that he has had in the lives of each of our children in a very unique and special way.”

When she is asked what she would say to somebody struggling with infertility and unsure about trying NaPro her response is this, “I would highly recommend that you give NaPro Technology a chance. It has so much to offer, particularly in situations of struggling with infertility, which can feel like a lonely and difficult road. But there is hope, and it’s here at Our Lady of Hope Clinic.”

She ended with this sentence, “It just feels like it was a dump truck of mercy poured out on our family. And I cannot imagine what life might have been like if not for Dr. Mike and Our Lady of Hope Clinic.”

If you are looking for fertility care in the Madison area, Our Lady of Hope Clinic is here for you.

For more information on fertility and women’s health, click here.

Or call (608) 819-8547. We would love to chat.