Our Legacy

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Babies Born
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Babies on the Way
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Couples Cycling

Our Purpose

We Help Families Grow

Footsteps for Fertility Foundation is a charitable organization created to raise awareness surrounding infertility, and provide grants for those who require fertility treatments such as: In Vitro Fertilization, Frozen Embryo Transfer, and Intrauterine Insemination through donations and strategic partnerships with fertility clinics.
We believe everyone should have an equal chance to start their families. Infertility poses a medical and financial obstacle to building families. Our foundation provides a venue for those struggling with infertility to apply for financial help regardless of their financial situation, sexual orientation, age, prior children, etc.
Footsteps for Fertility Foundation was founded in 2013, but our story began at our first event, a 5K race, in September of 2012.

My name is Serena Mackerell and I have been married to my husband, Travis, since 2008. Coming from a family with the most fertile women you’ll ever meet, I never imagined it would take us four years to get pregnant. After a year of various doctor appointments, it was determined that we wouldn’t have children unless we sought treatment with In Vitro Fertilization. While we were encouraged that there was still hope, we felt discouraged because the cost of IVF wasn’t something we could afford at the time or even three years later. By now it was year four, and my sisters, Holly, Laurel, and Alyssa, didn’t want us to have to wait any longer so they decided to take action.

One morning, they called me saying they wanted to put a 5 kilometer race together to raise money for me and Travis. I was a little reluctant at first when I thought about the privacy we might lose, but when they mentioned Utah Fertility Center would be donating a free cycle of IVF to a lucky random couple at the race, I realized this was a huge opportunity to help others and raise awareness.

While planning the race, my sisters crossed paths with Pay it Forward Fertility Foundation who gives grants to couples with infertility problems. We applied for the grant, and we qualified. Even though it appeared that our period of waiting was over, we still had a race to plan and Pay it Forward Fertility Foundation decided to join forces. The inaugural Footsteps for Fertility 5K race managed to raise over $35,000 which was donated to Pay it Forward Fertility Foundation and allowed for four grants! (Not including the lucky couple who won the free cycle of IVF donated by Utah Fertility Center). As a direct result of that race, five couples had the opportunity to start their families, three became pregnant, and a total of five babies were born. The event was so successful we decided to make Footsteps for Fertility a non-profit Foundation and continue to “Help Families Grow.”

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Our Team

Serena Mackerell
Serena MackerellExecutive Director
I am proud to be the inspiration for Footsteps for Fertility Foundation. To read more about how Footsteps for Fertility Foundation came to be, please read Our Story under the About Us section of this page. Having suffered through the trials that infertility brings, my husband, Travis, and I are highly motivated to be a voice, a help, and a shoulder to cry on for other couples who are struggling. One of the most difficult parts of infertility is that while there is a solution, it can be financially out of reach. Collectively, it is our mission to help couples overcome this roadblock.

Travis is a student working toward becoming a Physician Assistant, works as an Advanced EMT and is a partner in a Research and Development company in Salt Lake City, and he loves his jobs!

Our first IVF cycle was a success and I was able to carry TRIPLETS, with no complications, to term- 36 weeks!! Vivian, Harrison and Dean were born on October 14th, 2013 and spent only two weeks in NICU. Raising them so far has obviously been a challenge, but is absolutely the highlight of our lives. Before the babies arrived, I enjoyed singing with the Utah Opera Company and Utah Symphony Chorus and working in the Publishing Services Department for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have a degree in Interior Design from LDS Business College and served an LDS Mission in Curitiba, Brazil. I am fortunate to be a frequent featured soloist with Draper Philharmonic and Choral Society. I love to perform in musical theater and sing with the Lyrical Opera Theater. I am passionate when it comes to infertility and currently serve on the Advocacy Committee of Utah Infertility Resource Center where I am excited to make an impact in Utah for insurance coverage of infertility treatments. I am proud to have been appointed as Mrs. Utah 2017 thanks to Premier World Pageants recognizing infertility as such a worthy cause.

Travis Mackerell
Travis MackerellPresident
Holly Bryant
Holly BryantDirector
I graduated college from the United States Military Academy where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering. I served five years of active duty in the United States Army as a logistics officer and continue to serve in the Texas Army National Guard. I worked for several years as an Executive Team Leader for Target. I am married to Gregory Bryant. He is retired from the United States Army, he worked several years as a civilian Military Science Instructor in the ROTC department at St. Mary’s University and he currently works at LabCorp in logistics. He has his Bachelor of Science from DeVry University in Technical Management and his MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. Greg has two children Tayler, who is currently serving in the United States Air Force and Gregory, who recently graduated from Ellison High School. We also have three children together Addison, Wesley, and William. Gregory and I love all of our children so much and that is the reason we are passionate about helping to free couples from some of the financial burden of starting a family through in vitro fertilization.
Alyssa Oldham
Alyssa OldhamDirector
Like so many others it never occurred to me that I could empower myself, and do something to help my sister Serena in her time of need. It was Holly who came up with the idea to plan our first 5K race and it took our entire family and many others to execute it with such success. As time went on, we gained many supporters, and people began to reach out to us with their stories. Through this, we realized that there were so many other people out there who, like me, wanted to help but simply didn’t know how. I am so happy to have been able to provide a way for those people to “Help Families Grow.”

I am happily married to Tyler Oldham, and we live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Tyler is happy to be working his dream job as the Golf Course Superintendent at the Salt Lake Country Club. Tyler has a strong love of the outdoors and especially hunting. He spends a lot of his free time out on a lake or in a field hunting birds with “Lady”, our “fur baby”.

I graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor of Science in Severe Special Education. Working with people who have disabilities is my passion. I have enjoyed my career as a Special Education teacher and

When we began trying for children, we learned that we too have infertility issues. Our first IVF cycle was a success and we welcomed a healthy set of fraternal twin boys! Not long after, we were blessed with a spontaneous pregnancy and welcomed one more son. Miracles (and surprises DO happen!). I LOVE being a boy mom!

Megan Segura
Megan SeguraDirector
Coming into this family, I knew about Serena and Travis and I came into the picture at the same time they began their IVF cycle. Before this family, I had never had much faith in infertility treatments and thought that many couples came with hopeful hearts but walked away with broken dreams. But as I grew to know this family and hear about every step of IVF treatment Serena and Travis went through, all I could conclude was that this treatment is truly a miracle. I call the triplets the miracle babies because they are my testimony of what this process can provide families. This is truly a gift of life. Each of these families who seek Infertility treatments work so hard to bring a little one into this world and each are over flowing with love waiting to share it with their new baby (or babies). I want to see families experience the love and excitement our family experiences every day.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama- Roll Tide!! I enjoyed competing and playing on the division one soccer team there. I am married to Tony (the brother of the sisters who founded Footsteps). He graduated from the United States Military Academy aka West Point in 2012 and is now serving as a Cavalry Officer in the Army. Tony served an LDS mission for two years in Campiñas, Brazil and speaks fluent Portuguese.

Tony, and I have been happily married since July 2013. We currently live in Yelm, Washington where we have purchased our first house! The house was too quiet so we added a puppy named “Mal”. That wasn’t enough, so we grew by one more and in April 2015 when we welcomed our baby girl Josephine Joy into the world. At 7 months, old Josephine was diagnosed with a rare and fatal genetic disease called Infantile Pompe disease. Although our hearts are broken about Josephine’s diagnosis, we have decided to stay positive and optimistic. If you are interested, we welcome you to follow our blog Josephine’s Journey“>Josephines Joyful Journey”>Josephine’s Joyful Journey. She is still a happy baby and loves coming to all of the Footsteps races! Josephine was promoted to “Big Sister” of Clementine Clare, in January 2017.

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