Preserving Fertility Before Chemotherapy

When Christophe and Kerry Job married in 2006, Christophe was the picture of health. The athlete executive never imagined that just eight months later, he would be fighting Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The diagnosis was devastating for the couple, but Christophe was determined to beat it. Even more, he and Kerry were determined not to give up their dream of having a family of their own.

Since chemotherapy can render a man infertile, Christophe came to the Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area for help. His sperm was frozen, and then he began six months of chemotherapy.

“Thanks to the miracle of science, we didn’t have to throw away our dreams of having children,” Christophe said.

After successfully completing treatment, the couple returned to the Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area to start their family. Kerry’s fresh eggs were combined with Christophe’s thawed sperm to make Colin, who was born on June 14, 2008.

Christophe Job crosses the finish line at the Ironman Triathlon

The 12 remaining embryos were frozen and stored, one of which would become Quentin, who was born September 21, 2010.

“We were confident that Christophe’s sperm would fertilize well,” said Dr. Weckstein. RSC’s success using frozen embryos is over 50 percent, way above average. The rate of success using Kerry’s frozen embryos stored after her first IVF cycle is just as good as fresh embryos, he added.

Following chemo, Christophe “wanted to be healthier than he was before the cancer,” Kerry said, and so he trained for and completed two Ironman Triathlon competitions. Kerry was pregnant with Colin when Christophe completed his first Ironman in 2008.

Cancer free now for five years, Christophe leads a busy life with his lovely wife, Kerry, and their two active boys.