My husband, Cody and I are high school sweethearts. We got married in 2015 and have been married for nine years now. We got married shortly after graduating high school. I was 19 years old and my husband had just turned 20. When we got married we both knew that we wanted to start a family. However, we were both in college and wanted to finish that chapter in our lives before starting a new one. 

Fast forward to the spring of 2019 when we decided it was finally time to start trying to build our family. Little did we know that infertility and other health issues would rob us of the joy of conceiving naturally. After coming off birth control, several months passed and my menstrual cycle never returned. It was evident to me that this was an issue, so I scheduled an appointment with my OBGYN. Blood work was ordered which found that I had several hormonal imbalances. One being extremely high prolactin levels. I was referred to an endocrinologist to find answers. 

My endocrinologist ordered an MRI which also found that I had a small benign tumor on my pituitary gland. The tumor was small enough that my doctor wanted to try a couple different medications to help shrink the tumor. Almost a year passed and neither of the medications prescribed to me were helping my prolactin levels return to normal. I was again referred to another specialist, a neurologists to see what he thought my next steps would be. It was expressed to me that having surgery to remove the tumor was not the best option for me for numerous reasons as this time. At this point I wasn’t sure what to do next. 

By the summer of 2022, I had done six rounds Clomid, all of which had failed. My OBGYN suggested that it would be in my best interest to see an infertility specialist. That is when I was referred to Chicago IVF. After running some tests we decided to move forward with an IUI. Unfortunately, the IUI failed and my body did not respond to the medications like my doctor had hoped. At this point in my journey I felt hopeless and was beginning to lose faith in the process. 

In the spring of 2024, a friend of mine told me about Chicago Coalition for Family Building. I applied for one of the grants, hoping for a miracle. That I would be one of the chosen ones. I received a phone call early September letting me know I was one of the recipients. When I found out the news, I felt that my heart could explode. I couldn’t believe that I was being given the chance to finally grow our family. I can’t even express in words how grateful my husband Cody and I feel. It is truly a blessing and gives us so much hope for the future. 

Danni and Mollie are recipients of the Path to Parenthood Grant from the Jewish United Fund – Chicago.