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'Helping Heroes' Program Assisting NJ Military Couples 'Build Families' Through IVF

MORRISTOWN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A new program kicked off Friday in New Jersey to help military couples facing fertility problems achieve their dream of having children.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Lyzander Jones and his wife, Myesha, have been trying to have a baby for 4 years. They now have new hope thanks to the "Helping Heroes Build Families" program that's offering a free cycle of in vitro fertilization, or IVF, to military couples.

"It's just an awesome feeling, awesome feeling -- almost like a miracle," Lyzander Jones told CBS 2's Cindy Hsu.

IVF is the process where the egg is fertilized by the sperm outside the body and normally costs around $15,000.

"We've been trying to save, but it seems like things keep coming up. You know, the car breaks down or life happens. When we found out about this program and this opportunity, it was amazing," said Myesha Jones.

The Jones are ready to go and will start treatment in two weeks.

"He'll be a good dad. I know he will...that's why I picked him,"" Myesha Jones said.

To be eligible for the program you must be active duty military, stationed in New Jersey and first be screened by military doctors.

The treatments are being offered at Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey, which has six locations throughout the state.  The two doctors behind the idea served in the military together and said the program is a way to give back.

"It's only right to pay back the community," Dr. Thomas Kim said. "I went to medical school through the military scholarship program and I had a tremendous benefit from serving in the military and getting an education through the military."

"Military families have lots of challenges partially because the active duty member male or female gets deployed," Dr. Richard Scott said. "For those who are having difficulty conceiving, couples need to be together and have access to a lot of time to be able to go through this kind of health care."

The free fertility treatments will be offered through the end of the year.

For more information on the Helping Heroes Build Families program call (973)-656-2089 or visit rmanj.com/helpingheroes.

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