Mike and Robyn met in 2014 and it was love at first sight. They shared a dream to one day become parents. A few years later, they got married and began their journey to start a family. After difficulty conceiving, they decided to contact a fertility clinic for some extra help. Currently, they are on their third round of IVF and hoping …
The path to having a second child has been more of an adventure than we expected. We tried on our own and with IUI, then found out we are both carriers for a genetic disease. After several rounds of IVF, we have been through a lot of the emotional and physical work that accompanies painful loss. None of this was …
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 …
Rachel and Joe met through JDate in 2013 and immediately fell in love. A year later they were engaged and in 2015 they got married! In 2017, they were ready to begin having children. Rachel went off of birth control and could not ovulate on her own. After waiting about 7 months, the couple saw a fertility specialist who diagnosed …
Family Stories Trisha and EliMy husband and I got married in the summer of 2017. In the winter of 2019, we decided we were ready to start a family. Because we are Ashkenazi Jews, we knew we needed to do genetic testing, as we have a higher chance of having certain genetic disorders. Throughout the process, I kept thinking that everything …
Family Stories SarahI’ve wanted to have children for as long as I can remember. When I decided to move forward with becoming a parent, a family member unexpectedly fell ill, and my desire to grow a family of my own was put on hold. Now that my focus is back on family planning, I am thrilled to be able to move …
Family Stories Jasmine and ArjunJasmine and Arjun met during their medical training in San Francisco. Aware of a strong family history of breast cancer, Jasmine decided to undergo genetic testing and discovered that she carried the BRCA 2 mutation. After moving to Chicago for fellowship—and in the hopes of soon starting a family—Jasmine and Arjun decided to pursue pre-implantation genetic diagnosis …
Family Stories Yesenia and AndrewMy husband Andrew and I have been together for a little over three years. We are so grateful to have been awarded the life grant. Testing was nerve racking, but we are over the moon now that we can continue to pray for a successful IVF process. Yesenia and Andrew are recipients of a donated IVF cycle …
Family Stories Katie and AugieHi, my name is Katie and I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) six years ago. Since my diagnosis, I have been doing a lot of research and trying everything that I could to conceive naturally due to the high costs for fertility treatments and adoption. I’ve tried medications like clomid and metformin, to supplements like …
Family Stories Devan and EricMy husband and I met during my sophomore year of college. Three years prior to this I was diagnosed with MRKH disease, which meant it would be impossible for me to carry a child of my own. The news was devastating but thankfully there were options to allow us to start a family and have the life …
Family Stories Erica and DennisWe started trying before our wedding in Jan 2014 and after about 6 months with no success we knew it was probably time to see a specialist. With our dual diagnoses of diminished ovarian reserve and male factor, we jumped straight to IVF. After five IVF cycles with three different reproductive endocrinologists, eight embryos transferred, and no …
Family Stories Jessica and TimothyWe are Jess and Tim. We have been together for almost six years and married for two. Tim is a school counselor and Jess is a school psychologist, both in the same PK-12 school district. We share our love and home with Arlo, our great Pyrenees pup, and Lottie, our golden Pyrenees pup. Becoming parents has long …
Family Stories Jackie and TommyOur journey together began in February 2010, while both in the Army. By September 2011, we were married. We always knew we wanted a family, so when our son came along in June 2013, we were elated to be first-time parents. We began trying for a second child in May 2015 on our own, and began working …
Family Stories Paige and CharlesWe are high school sweethearts who decided to elope to Vegas when Paige was 19 and Charlie was 21. A few months later we bought a house and started our journey to becoming parents. Being so young, we didn’t expect this journey to be nearly as difficult or long as it has been. After a year of …
Family Stories Siobhan and EdgarWe met online in 2013 when we were in our thirties and knew that we had something special. Our wedding in 2015 was a joyous occasion of family and friends because family is very important to us. We waited two years to begin to try for our own family. Unfortunately, due to Siobhan’s diagnosis of PCOS, it …
Family Stories Rachel and TylerHello! We are Rachel and Tyler. We met in 9th grade algebra class, and although sparks didn’t fly then, we remained in contact after high school and were married in 2007. Rachel is a Licensed Social Worker and works in child welfare. Tyler has been in the US Army for 13 years, a career that has taken …
Family Stories Feryn and TylerWe have been on our fertility journey for what has felt like a lifetime. Ty and I want nothing more than to be parents. With each appointment, surgery and negative pregnancy test our hearts have each broken a little more. To us, receiving this grant is nothing short of a miracle. This grant allows us to have …
Family Stories Yesenia and HectorMy husband and I married in 2013 and the thought of starting a family so soon wasn’t in our plans because we were still very young and wanted to enjoy each other as a couple. But as a year went by we decided we would give it a try and nothing happened and after about 4 years …
Family Stories Jen and TravisHaving children has always been a part of our plan. We felt beyond ready to begin a family after getting married in 2017. With us both being in our late thirties and after six months of trying to conceive (and no luck!) we decided to meet with a fertility specialist. We knew that fertility treatment would be …
Family Stories Tiffany and SteveMy husband and I have been trying to conceive for over two years. Eventually we realized we that we may need additional help in order to conceive. I began seeing my REI, Dr. Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron, in September of 2018. After running several tests I was diagnosed with PCOS. We immediately began treatment. Unfortunately, my insurance doesn’t cover …
Family Stories Sarah and SeanOur story begins as two college kids that, by chance, sat next to each other in Accounting class. We can honestly say that we have been inseparable every day for the 14 years that have followed that special moment. In 2011, we got married and as a young married couple we focused on enjoying our time together …
Family Stories NitzalisHaving a child on my own was not how I had envisioned my journey to motherhood going. I am divorced and single, and couldn’t allow the twists and turns in relationships to be relevant any longer in my desire to be a mother. So here I was, reviewing donor profiles and looking for honest eyes. I went into the …
Family Stories Chrystelle and BrianChrystelle is French, Brian is a Wisconsinite. She works as a CNA and goes to school in hopes of becoming a nurse. He is an active member of the US Navy, also working in the medical field. We enjoy going on walks with our dogs, splurging on French bread & cheese, or laze around in front of …
Family Stories Katie and RobertBobby and I had a plan when we got married. Since we got married just over a year after meeting each other, we thought waiting for our third anniversary would be a good idea. That gave us three years to get to know each other as a married couple, get a bigger house, save some money, and …