I am beyond excited to have received a grant from JUF! I have wanted to become a mom since a young age and have had difficulty making it happen. The support provided by JUF to help me on my journey to motherhood is incredibly appreciated. While the process might look different than I expected, I am thrilled to start my …
Lindsey and Ashley: A Pandemic Love Story
Lindsey and Ashley met back in 2012 at work, but their love story truly took flight during the pandemic. With countless Covid-era hangouts that turned into a deep connection, they eventually become a couple in 2020. They took the next step in 2021 with their engagement, and by 2022, they were thrilled to marry and begin building their life together. …
Melissa and John: Redefining Parenthood
Melissa and John matched on a dating app, Coffee Meets Bagel, in March 2020. They quickly bonded over a shared sense of humor and positive outlook on life. They also enjoy living a healthy and active lifestyle together. Everything fell into place, and they married in their backyard with their closest family members in attendance. After being unable to achieve …
Lily: Building a Mishpacha
I am so grateful for the help of CCFB/JUF in my journey to becoming a parent. I am an educator who conducts research on Jewish languages. I come from a long line of strong Jewish women, and I am looking forward to creating my own mishpacha (מִשׁפָּחָה – family). I hope to update soon with good news! Lily is a …
Nicole and Alex: Love, Board Games and Bravery
Nicole and Alex are a couple of nerds living in one of Chicago’s suburbs. Nicole has her LCPC and works for a nonprofit mental-health outreach agency, and Alex edits books. They share a love of board games and their three cats: Rogue, Siryn, and Pixie (whose names are all both fantasy terms and X-Men characters). The couple first met at …
Randi and Joe: Dreaming of Dad Jokes
We met back in 2015 and during our almost nine years together, we have partnered through life’s challenges, from struggling with personal health issues, through pandemic isolation and job changes, and surviving the loss of a parent. We have always been a dynamic pair, by each other’s side whenever it counts. You won’t find one of us without the strong …
Lindsay and Jimmy: Turning Loss into Hope
Our journey together began in Chicago where we first met in 2015. We married in June 2020, during the peak of Covid, and later on were able to safely celebrate our marriage with friends and family in June 2022. Eager to start a family, we were excited to become pregnant in November 2022. During the third trimester, abnormalities were detected …
Fox 32 Highlights National Infertility Awareness Week | Coalition
News CoverageNational Infertility Awareness WeekThank you, Dr. Allison Rogers, and Fox32 Chicago for highlighting the Coalition: hashtaGive Hope – Donate TodaySubscribe to Our Newsletter Email* PhoneThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Δ Your Donations Help Families Find HopeInfertility affects 1 in 6 couples. The Coalition for Family Building is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization and donations …
Rus and Yosi: NYC and Midwestern Connections
Rus and Yosi met nine years ago and have been married for almost eight years. Rus was born and raised in NYC while Yosi is a native Midwesterner. Together, they love traveling the world, and also enjoy cooking and baking. Rus and Yosi have experienced infertility in multiple forms over the last several years and are extremely appreciative of the …
Jenna and Eugene: Navigating Genetic Challenges with Unwavering Support
Eugene and I (Jenna) met online in 2015 and have been inseparable ever since. We share a love for family, food, travel, and our dog, Maddie. We completed comprehensive genetic testing in 2023 and learned we are both carriers for the same genetic disorder. This news was quite a surprise to both of us, as well as our families. After …
Carly and Ethan: Love, Health and Surrogacy
Carley and Ethan’s journey together began at the University of Illinois, where an AEPHi/AEPi event brought them together. Both hailing from the north Chicago suburbs and pursuing degrees in Economics, their connection was immediate and enduring. After graduating, their adventure took them to several cities – from San Francisco to Los Angeles, then back to Chicago, and finally settling in …
Brianna and Ben: From City Love to Family Values
Hi all! We’re Brianna and Ben. We’re city-loving Chicagoans who met through an app (Coffee Meets Bagel) 7.5 years ago, and had our first date at Jeni’s Ice Cream on Southport Ave (try the Brown Butter Almond Brittle!). Our lives have since become centered around our little Southport Corridor, including getting married at our favorite restaurant (Ella Elli) in 2020 …
Alexa and Jason: Love, Longevity, and the Path to Parenthood
We met back in 1999, when we were both in fourth grade. After a long friendship and an even longer courtship (including five years of long-distance dating), we got married in December 2015. As we began planning to expand our family, it became clear IVF would be our most likely path to having a successful outcome. We are so excited …
Susan and Yonatan: From ‘Jews and Brews’ to Family Dreams
The first night we met was at an event called “Jews and Brews” where we felt the chemistry right away. After sitting down at our table, we ended up talking for so long that when we finally looked away from each other we realized that everyone else who had started the night at our table had long since left the …
Sara and Isabel: Building Community, Raising Love
We have always wanted to be mothers but as lesbians, we knew our journey to parenthood would be different than the paths of our straight friends. We are so grateful that the CCFB/JUF grant is helping us to complete our queer bayit ne’eman b’yisrael (faithful Jewish family). We are both deeply involved in the Jewish community and excited to raise …
Diane: A Hopeful Mom-to-be
I couldn’t be more excited to become a mama with help from CCFB and JUF! I’m a reconstructionist-ordained rabbi, currently serving a reform congregation, and deeply engaged with my local Jewish community. Among my friends, I am known for sharing very openly, loving data, and making pretty challah. I am looking forward to sharing more happy updates soon! Diane is …
Coalition Featured on WBEZ Chicago
News CoverageDemocrats Look to Make Illinois a Haven for IVFBy Brenda Ruiz WBEZ ChicagoMarch 6, 2024 State lawmakers are pushing forward new legislation that would protect in vitro fertilization rights. Fertility and maternal care specialists say this is the latest in a new frontier of legal battles over reproductive rights since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Reset learns more …
Coalition Highlighted on WBEZ Chicago
News CoverageIllinois Democrats Offer Protections for IVFSome newly introduced legislation seeks to expand insurance coverage or offer incentives for fertility care in IllinoisBy Mawa IqbalWBEZ ChicagoMarch 5, 2024 Illinois Democratic lawmakers are pushing multiple bills this year to further protect and expand access to in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments. The proposals come as the Alabama Supreme Court, and conservative lawmakers …
Dr. Eve Feinberg Featured on “Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta”
News CoverageDr. Eve Feinberg featured on “Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta”Paging Dr. Gupta: What You Need to Know About the Alabama IVF RulingFebruary 27, 2024 Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with fertility expert Dr. Eve Feinberg about a controversial ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos are now considered children. Alabama’s Supreme Court has ruled that embryos are …
Hannah and Mike
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2018 at age 30. My daughter (our 1st and only child) was born in May 2017, and I found a lump while I was breastfeeding her. Soon after that, I was also diagnosed with a BRCA2 mutation, and elected to have a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. In the window between my surgery …
Kim and Jeff
Thanks to the Chicago Coalition for Family Building, Kim and Jeff were proud to welcome their twins, Eve and Emilia, in 2019!
Scott and Ma’ayan
Our first due date was supposed to be in June of 2019. We had been dreaming of a family and were really, really excited when we found out we were pregnant. Our 8-week ultrasound looked good and the doctor told us our baby was strong. After we found out we were expecting, we did genetic testing through the Sarnoff Center …
Kathryn and Sean
We are so thankful to have heard about the Chicago Coalition for Family Building, and to have the opportunity to apply for a grant. When we learned about Katie’s carrier status and made the decision to pursue IVF, we had serious concerns about the cost. As we look to start a family, being selected to receive a grant would be …
Aset and Emperor
My name is Aset and my husband is Emperor. Our fertility journey started before we even knew we were on it! We met our freshman year in college and immediately connected. At the end of our first year, we found out we were pregnant! However, that pregnancy unfortunately ended in a miscarriage. After that loss, we decided to just live …
Becki and Ricky
Our journey together began in 2006, while in high school. We were two teenagers who fell in love and dreamt about having a large family. It has been our dream since we were kids ourselves. After many years of dating, we were married in 2016 and have been blessed with two children. Being parents is our greatest blessing. A few …
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