Above: Previous coverage of the bombing
(KTLA) – In the wake of a terrorist bombing that devastated the American Reproductive Centers (ARC) fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, over the weekend, patients are speaking out – not in outrage, but with gratitude.
One IVF patient, who asked to remain anonymous for her safety, said her heart sank when she first read the news. Weeks before the explosion, she had finally completed her egg retrieval at the clinic.
Out of 27 eggs, only one viable embryo had formed.
“Utter disbelief,” she told ‘s KTLA, describing the moment she realized the building where her embryo was stored had been targeted. “Women pour their heart and soul, time, energy, money – our physical bodies – into creating an opportunity to have their biggest dream come true.”
But just hours after the blast, the message came: the embryos had been saved. She credits the clinic’s lead doctor, Dr. Maher Abdallah, for his quick thinking and compassion in getting the word out to patients.
Palm Springs Deputy Fire Chief Greg Lyle said he and an FBI agent went into the compromised structure on Sunday to see if they could bring the embryos out of the building, but once inside, they realized there were tanks holding hundreds of embryos.
The tanks were too large to move safely, so Lyle’s team went in to try and save medical records, but they ended up saving much more.
“Those guys went in. It wasn’t me,” he said. “They went in to restore power, and they did it.”
The team successfully reestablished electricity to repower the incubators and ensured that the cryogenic containers were intact.
“My embryo is already a little fighter,” said the patient. “She’s the only embryo that made it from the 27 eggs, and now she survived this.”
Her embryo transfer remains on schedule, now at a different location. She plans to visit the Palm Springs Fire Department this week to personally thank the crew who helped save her future.
Emery Baucus, another ARC patient who had previously completed a successful cycle that resulted in the birth of her now 2 1/2-year-old daughter, said she was storing two embryos at the clinic for future use.
When news of the bombing broke, she feared the worst.
“If you’re in the middle of a three-day or five-day freeze, those days are important – time is of the essence,” Baucus said. “I’m just so glad they were able to get those embryos and continue treatments for those who might be in the thick of it right now.”
Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Naomi Soto offered words of reassurance following the attack, calling on the community to stand together.
“Palm Springs is a city of love, acceptance, joy, and hope,” she said.
Despite the damage to the building, patients said the dream of starting or growing their families is still alive.
