Sheeba and Ritesh

Family Stories Sheeba and RiteshWe felt so shattered when we were diagnosed with PCOS soon after getting married in 2011. Within a few months my wife was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which compounded the problem of infertility. Struggling to fulfill our dream of having a baby, we started visiting doctors for help. We got the same advice of going for IVF …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Raquel and Justin

Family Stories Raquel and JustinWe have been married since January 12, 2018 and began trying to conceive way before that. We consulted several doctors regarding our issue and were disappointed to find out that are best chances for conceiving would be through IVF. We adopted two puppies, Asia and Sushi, to try and fill the gap in our hearts. Although they …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Jacqueline and Oscar

Family Stories Jacqueline and Oscar We have known each other for 11 years and have been married for four years. After our engagement, Oscar was involved in an devastating motor vehicle accident that left him permanently in a wheelchair. We attempted several IUI treatments, but they have been unsuccessful. We decided to apply for a Coalition Grant after our fertility doctor …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Nicole and Lance

Family Stories Nicole and LanceWe have been married for 6 years, and have been trying to conceive for half of those. We have a wonderful home and two amazing dogs but still our hearts ache for a child. We have tried just about everything to grow our family, including two IVF cycles, both which were unsuccessful. We maxed out our limited …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Lora and Robert

Family Stories Lora and RobertLora and I met on match.com in November 2010. She’d just moved to the Chicagoland area. I took a chance and messaged her first. Almost four years later we were married in her hometown of Ames, Iowa. We live in the Kenosha area now. Lora works as a youth librarian, while I’m a barista, writer, and aspiring …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Lindsay and Matthew

Family Stories Lindsay and MatthewAfter a year of being married, we decided it was time to start our family! However, what came next was two long years of trying, multiple doctors, endless procedures, and lots of disappointment; all of which we were unexpected. There’s been many bumps in the road: our first reproductive endocrinologist retired, our second reproductive endocrinologist was unsuccessful; …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Kristen and Matthew

Family Stories Kristen and MatthewMy fiancé, Matt, was admitted to the hospital for chronic lung allograft rejection when I met him for the first time four-and-a-half years ago. I was his nurse and, unbeknownst to me at the time, I ended up transferring the love of my life to the ICU where he waited for his second, life-saving bilateral lung transplant …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Danielle and Dan

Family Stories Danielle and Dan We starting dating at 19 years old, so when we married at age 30, we felt beyond ready to start trying to grow our family right away! Danielle was diagnosed with Stage IV endometriosis at age 28 so we began our process with the Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI) right away to be proactive. As we …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Brittany and John

Family Stories Brittany and JohnJohn and I have been married for six years and we have spent most of those six years trying to get pregnant. We got pregnant in 2012 and in 2015, but unfortunately both ended in miscarriages. We have had many tests done and unfortunately we don’t have any answers. There is nothing we want more than to …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Nao and Nicholas

Family Stories Nao and NicholasOur journey together started when I spotted this unbelievably stunning woman across a café. After mustering up some courage to talk with her, and despite a hilarious language barrier, we clicked immediately. Since our first encounter, it has been the best six years of my life. We have been able to support each other through hardships, all …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Josie and Esten

Family Stories Josie and EstenOur journey began a little over four years ago when, just before my 25th birthday, I had emergency open heart surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm and dissection. I was so young, and what happened was so severe that my cardiothoracic surgeon suspected a connective tissue disorder. After consultations with geneticists and cardiologists, what my surgeon suspected …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Emilie and Mark

Family Stories Emilie and MarkOur beautiful five-year-old son, Finn, our beloved only child, passed away suddenly in March 2018. We were in the middle of our first IVF attempt when it happened. Finn was a bright, happy, loving little boy, and was so excited to be a big brother. Mark and I have struggled with infertility for years, and we are …

Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation - 2018 Family Story

Jeanette and Brian

Family Stories Jeanette and BrianWe are Brian and Jeanette. We have been together for 13 years and married for 10. Over four years ago we started trying to have a baby and very quickly realized that we were going to need “extra” help conceiving. We started on a now four year infertility process that has included Clomid, IUI with injections, and …

Casie and Clay

Family Stories Casie and ClayGreetings from Indiana! We are Team Claysie (otherwise known as Clay & Casie.) We first met in high school and yes, we even went to prom together. After some “on again, off again” dating we decided to stay “on” permanently when we got married in 2004. Clay was a pastor for over 10 years and now owns …