Exclusive | Yankees star and his wife help 57 families afford IVF after their own fertility struggles

At the third annual Willow Gala in Brooklyn on Monday night, Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón and his wife and infertility advocate, Ashley Rodón, celebrated a milestone close to their hearts.The gala, held at Skylight at The Refinery in Williamsburg, raised more than $1 million for couples navigating the financial and emotional toll of infertility and pregnancy loss.

The Rodóns’ efforts have now helped 57 families afford fertility treatments, with three babies born and 14 more on the way.For them, the work is deeply personal.The couple married in their mid-20s and were excited to grow their family.

But along the way, they experienced two unexpected miscarriages.“It’s not talked about enough,” Carlos told The Post.

“You don’t you don’t realize, especially at a young age, how many people struggled with infertility.You don’t understand how hard it is to make a child.”Before they were set to start IVF in an effort to minimize their chance of another miscarriage, they learned they were pregnant with their daughter, Willow.

They were overjoyed.But the experience had also exposed them to a side of trying to have a baby that they hadn’t anticipated: the grief, isolation and hopelessness that can come with infertility and pregnancy loss and the staggering cost of trying to overcome it.

A single cycle of fertility treatments in the US can cost as much as $30,000.And when insurance doesn’t cover it, IVF can be out of reach for families who can’t absorb that expense.

Coverage for fertility services remains limited in both private insurance and Medicaid.The Rodóns remembered how much their own journey had cost, from fertility care to holistic specialists.They began wondering how other couples who had been in their shoes could afford to even get started.

This questioning ultimately led the couple to launch The Carlos Rodón Foundation in 2024 and create the Willow Grant, named after their first child.The grants provide up to $10,000 to help pay fo...