Mary G Bruno

Hey, there! I’m Mary and my life hasn’t turned out quite like I imagined, with a few exceptions. While I did get to marry my favorite person and stay home to raise our child, that child did not come in the way I thought she would.

My quality of life plummeted with cyclic pains that turned into daily disruptions. It took me 12 years to get a diagnosis and after 11 surgeries, I had to say goodbye to my uterus along with any hopes of fertility. Even intercourse turned out to be a great source of stress because of the physical pain that took me 9 years to identify. I know, it’s hard for me to make sense of, too.

And yet, here I am – living the life God has given me not absent of suffering, but full of joy and purpose. I am a mother in every sense of the word who recognizes her inherent value regardless of what or whom she produces. It took becoming infertile for me to recognize how incredibly fruitful my life can be and that is what facilitated my healing journey. That is, not one without great sorrow in full recognition and acceptance of what I have lost, but one where I know my purpose and feel deeply loved by a God who cherishes me as I am.

Writing became deeply cathartic for me as I stumbled through my endometriosis diagnosis, physical pain, infertility, and eventually, vaginismus. It also became a way to connect with other women who have felt isolated and are struggling with the same things. I learned that I am not alone and that we can support each other simply by sharing our stories and holding space for each other’s experiences, no matter what they are.

This is why I started blogging and why I eventually published my first book, which I started writing on accident. I didn’t write to make money or to become noticed. I wrote because I had something important to share with others who suffer and feel alone, and eventually it unfolded into a 233 page book. God continues to move my heart, so I will continue to write. And now, I will begin to offer coaching regularly.

I will also continue to advocate for authentic women’s healthcare, fertility awareness education, and informed consent of birth control and IVF. My 12 year delayed diagnosis is one of my biggest motivators. I understand how the women’s health machine works because I am one of its victims. This is why I became a Creighton Practitioner and cofounded a non-profit, fabmbase.org, to help address the need in our church AND culture for family planning options, restorative reproductive medicine, and solidarity.

And I can’t tell you about myself without mentioning our adoption story, which might be the most unexpected part of my story. Adoption was totally unfamiliar to me. It would have never been on my radar had we not become infertile knowing God was calling us to be physical parents. It is uncomfortable for me to share that, but I think it is important to recognize that life doesn’t always unfold in pretty pieces.

I was scared and unsure that I could love another child as my own. I had little knowledge of women in crisis pregnancies and was ignorant of their great sacrifice until Chris and I were awarded the privilege of witnessing the heroic love of one woman in action. This changed me. And with my openness, God transformed my heart into the mother He called us to be to her child.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chris and I have been married since 2013 and we have 1 daughter and 2 dogs. I love sweets and sports. We have been trained as a marriage prep mentor couple since 2018. I practiced as a physical therapist assistant for 6 years until we got the call that Bella was on her way into this world. My life experiences inspire me to help people like you.

More than anything, I hope you can find some solidarity and freedom through visiting my website. Life didn’t turn out how I expected, but it has always been at my lowest points that God has done His best work, helping me to discover myself fully alive.