A couple who have spent their life savings on three unsuccessful rounds of IVF have been given hope of starting a family after total strangers donated thousands of dollars to help pay their medical costs . Melanie and Joseph Cassar , from St Clair , Sydney , feared their dream of becoming parents was over after the last IVF cycle failed . Insisting they would never give up hope , they have now started a crowd-funding website to raise $ 8,500 to undergo a fourth treatment . Scroll down for video . Melissa ( picured left ) and Joseph Cassa ( pictured right ) have undergone three unsuccessful IVF treatments but have n't given up on being parents yet . ‘ I feel an empty void in my life that I 'm destined to be a mum , and Joe a dad , but we need help , ’ Ms Cassar explained on the website . Ms Cassar said she knew at age 18 that the road to fertility would be tough after learning that she had polycystic ovarian syndrome ( PCOS ) . Doctors explained her ovaries were irregular and covered in cysts , making it difficult to produce eggs capable of fertilisation . ‘ I did all the tests and they said your only option is IVF ' Ms Cassar told Daily Mail Australia . Ms Cassar has undergone three full IVF treatments and said it costs around $ 8,500 each time , with Medicare returning $ 5,000 . 12,000 babies were born using IVF in Australia last year but Ms Cassa says doctors can give no guarantees the treatment will work . Ms Cassa ’ s passion for children prompted her to start running a day care but she says this only makes her desire to be a mother stronger . Out of pocket expenses for IVF treatment have increased from around $ 1,500 per cycle to $ 3,500 , with new changes meaning couples must spend at least $ 2,000 to qualify for the Medicare safety net . Mr Cassar says it ’ s been ‘ heartbreaking ’ to watch his wife go through the treatments without getting the child they have coveted for so long . 'There are no guarantees with IVF , ’ Ms Cassar explained . ‘ It ’ s an emotional rollercoaster . You always try to look at the positives but sometimes when you get your hopes up , they just crash , ’ she added . Try and try again : Seven months on from their last attempt at IVF the couple are ready to give it another shot . After running out of money to spend on the treatments Ms Cassar said her family and friends asked her how they could donate , prompting her to create the gofundme.com appeal . With $ 1,455 raised in only 8 days the couple remain hopeful that 'this year might be our year ' Support is pouring in with anonymous donations of up to $ 300 from strangers who would like nothing more than to see a healthy baby in the couples arms . The couple say although they have experienced more hardships than they imagined , they wo n't give up on their dream of having a healthy child of their own . ‘ As much as we can afford , we will keep going. ’ To donate or read more about their story visit : www.gofundme.com/nbr708 . Mrs Casa say they have tried everything from naturopaths to having cysts burnt off her ovaries but nothing has given them a child .
Melanie and Joseph Cassar spent thousands on unsuccessful IVF treatments . The couple had been trying for a baby since last year but were told they would never have children because of their genetic condition.