We are Jessika and Ivan. We have been together for 9.5 years. We both come from families with a strong belief in God. We have lived in Chicago for the past 3 years looking for a better future for ourselves and our families. Since we found each other, we have been hoping and praying to build our family and achieve …
Jana and Matt met in 2011 during their sophomore year at USC. After meeting at a football game, Jana noticed the following week that Matt was sitting just a few rows behind in her organic chemistry lecture. Jana was pre-med and Matt was pre-vet, and a close friendship formed quickly. They bonded over their love of dogs, horror movies, great …
My husband Daniel and I have been together since high school, building a life full of love, commitment, and dreams of a big family. We moved in together in 2006 and welcomed our daughter in 2008 after experiencing a heartbreaking miscarriage the year before. She is now 16 and the light of our lives. After her birth, we hoped to …
I grew up in south Texas and moved to central Illinois after meeting my now-husband, Alex, who is from Illinois. We have spent the last nine years together, with the past three of them trying to grow our family. Despite the hurdles and speed bumps that having children is seeming to entail, we are looking forward to a long, happy …
Bridgette is a speech-language pathologist who was born and raised in Chicago. She and her husband Thomas live in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago with their dog Burgee, who is less excited but supportive about the prospects of them growing their family. Our fertility journey can be described as a long, difficult, educational journey where we have learned more about …
The Jachino family lives in Downers Grove, IL with their beloved dog, Derby. They enjoy being outside working on their yard and garden, hosting friends and family on their deck for backyard barbecues, and exploring their local neighborhood. They’ve always dreamed of becoming parents and starting a family. They have been on the journey to parenthood for multiple years, with …
We’re Maureen and Ryan! We met in Chicago in 2010, built a life together here around lots of laughter and support for each other, and were married in 2016. In 2022, after a long fertility journey and two rounds of Clomid, we were thrilled to welcome our daughter. She is a bright, loving, silly little girl who brings so much …
Welcome to our journey! We have known each other for 13 years going back to when we were young teenagers. We did not start our love for each other until 2018, when we first started dating. Seven years later, we have now grown up together, bought a house, got married, and enjoy day to day love from our two dogs! …
Hello! My name is Maria and my husband’s name is Jose. I’m from Guatemala and my husband from Illinois, he grew up in Puerto Rico. We are a very happy couple that we share everything in our love, we are the best friends, we are a couple that believes that God is the center of our family. We are a …
Hi everyone! We’re Brittany and Aaron Duke! We are THE example of the invisible string theory. We both graduated from the same high school, but never had any interactions. Many years later, in 2018, we connected and the rest was history. We got married in October 2022. In January 2023, we were ready to build our family. Little did we …
David & Rion met in their high school days and moved to Texas to start their adult lives together after he got back from deployment in Afghanistan. In Texas, they got married and built a strong foundation without their families near to them. Shortly after they started trying to grow their family naturally, Rion’s mom was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis …
Wesley and Dessie are a couple in their early 30s from South Beloit, Illinois. They are active and enjoy hiking, paddleboarding, boating, and enjoying the outdoors with their animals. Wesley has an Associate Degree in Business Management. He works at Precision Quincy as an Applications Engineer. Dessie has a PhD in Community Sustainability and is the Executive and Research Director …
Austin and Morgan are a committed Chicago-based gay couple with a passion for building modern families grounded in love, inclusivity, and authenticity. Morgan’s vibrant creativity and intellectual curiosity, combined with his playful optimism, continue to shape his vision of family as an ever-evolving canvas for growth and connection. Austin, known for his warm, calm presence and steadfast reliability, nurtures those …
Abby and Kyle live in a suburb of Chicago with their rescue German Shepherd, Ted. Kyle works as a firefighter/paramedic, and Abby is a nurse practitioner. In their free time, they love cooking together, exploring new restaurants, and taking long walks with Ted. Family means everything to them, and they’re fortunate to have a close-knit, supportive circle that has walked …
I am Tana and am a single mother by choice and have a ten-year-old son. I am an open minded, flexible, and patient parent that uses positive reinforcement and redirection. I am certified in parent child integration therapy and have 8 years of experience with the Orton Gillingham Reading phonics program. I hold a Masters of Business Administration in Finance …
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 …
When Danni & Mollie met at the University of Michigan at a sorority event, they instantly knew they’d be best friends. What they didn’t predict is that their “Big/Little” titles would be upgraded to “Wife 4 Life” 10 years later! Since then, they’ve built an incredible life & Jewish community in Chicago. They got married in a celebration that incorporated …
Nevo and Shaul met in their early twenties, and their shared values and commitment to Jewish culture, though secular in practice, formed the foundation of their relationship. Their journey together has spanned continents and cultures. After establishing their first home in Tel Aviv, they embarked on separate but transformative paths – one pursuing doctoral studies at Northwestern University, while the …
We are Jenna and Josh, a married couple navigating the challenges of infertility with unwavering determination. Over the past four years, we have undergone three rounds of IVF, experiencing the heartbreak of a miscarriage along the way. Our journey has led us to pursue the use of an egg donor, a step that fills us with renewed hope for building …
Hi, we are Rachel and Alan! We met at LakeShake Chicago, a country music festival, in 2016—and the rest was history! As proud members of the Jewish community, we have been on a heartfelt journey to build our family. Rachel was diagnosed at age 15 with a rare reproductive disorder and has faced years of infertility with resilience and determination. …
Gabriel and I met at the end of 2020 and we formed a strong connection that led to our wedding at the end of 2022. We have faced many challenges together including the death of my mother soon after we started dating. I have known about my fertility challenge since I was 16/17 and found out that I could never …
We met at work in 2015, but our story started in December 2016 after a company holiday party ignited a spark between us. In February 2020, we welcomed our bernedoodle Otis into the family, and have spent countless hours at the park ever since. We got married in July 2022 and set off on a few international and domestic adventures …
Rachel & Chris met online during the fall of 2020 during the pandemic. After the classically 2020 screening question of ‘would you get a vaccine if one existed?’, they had an eight-hour first date and realized this was something special. They quickly integrated their lives together, sharing a love of travel, food and family. They both come from big families …
Jonathan and Shira met on Shavuot in 2018, and by the time they finished their first conversation, Shira knew she would marry him. It took Jonathan a few weeks to figure it out, but in 2022 they got married at the summer camp where Shira grew up. Jonathan is a physicist with a passion for scientific discovery and Shira has …
Nicki and Ivan’s journey together began during the pandemic when Nicki moved to Spain to teach English. In her first week in Madrid, she attended a Rosh Hashanah service in the park, where Ivan, the lay leader, was leading the prayers. He also ran the young professionals group, Marom, which hosted Shabbat dinners and happy hours. Ivan invited Nicki to …
Todd and Trent’s journey together began in 2016 when they connected on a dating app. Both Todd and Trent were seeking something genuine, and their shared values and connection quickly became evident. After their initial date, they found that their interests, humor, and life goals aligned in ways that felt natural and fulfilling. In 2018, Todd proposed to Trent during …
Max and Dan are residents of Chicago’s delightful Andersonville neighborhood, who work as a self-employed psychotherapist (Max) and civil servant in the Federal Transit Administration (Dan). When Max and Dan met in 2015, things got serious quickly, and one of Max’s first big questions for him was whether he was interested in having children. When Dan said yes, Max knew …
My husband, Danny, and I have been together for 11 wonderful years and have been married for 7 of them. We share our home with a three-year-old dog and an eight-year-old cat, who bring so much joy and love into our lives. Together, we love traveling, experimenting with new recipes, attending concerts, and seeking adventure through activities like ziplining. We …
Larissa and Andrew are a loving couple who have been married nearly 12 years. They love traveling, spending time with friends and enjoying the comforts of home with their three cats. Over the years there have been wonderful memories made, but also major struggles as Andrew is a non-Hodgkin Lymphoma survivor and Larissa is currently fighting her own cancer battle. …
Chrissy and Alex met in 2008 at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, and quickly formed a strong connection. After graduation, they pursued teaching careers in different states — Alex in Maryland and Chrissy in North Carolina. Despite the distance, they grew closer, bonding over their shared love for education and dreams of starting a family. In 2014, they moved to …
It all started at a daycare in Peoria, IL where we both worked. As time went on, Kynise and I became friends. Friends turned into best friends that turned into a seven years and counting relationship! Through the years, Keva and Kynise lived in Peoria and then moved to Chicago in 2018 to begin their family. Keva is an Assistant …
Hannah and I have come to know that our story is not uncommon among the many people seeking to start a family. We have been together for eight years, slowly building our lives and home together. Three years ago, we sat together joyfully and planned what we thought would be the start of building our family to fill the home …
Hi everyone! We’re Adam and Haley! We were first introduced back in 2012 by my older brother during our weekly family and friends’ game night. We clicked almost instantly and soon started dating. In 2018, we got married and started trying to expand our family. After 5 years of trying with no success we learned we had unexplained infertility. We …
Max and Emily met in 2019 in Washington, DC, and have since built a life together in Chicago with their Goldendoodle puppy, Melo (named in honor of Carmelo Anthony, a nod to Max’s hometown, Syracuse). Before meeting Max, Emily learned that she inherited the CHEK2 mutation from her mother, who tragically lost her battle with breast cancer at the age …
Michael was willing to miss a March Madness Purdue Basketball game to go on a date with Chrissy, so that’s how we knew our relationship was going somewhere. After months of building a strong friendship, we were both pretty certain that we had met the person we would spend forever with. We got married during the pandemic and while we …
Hi everyone! We’re Nicole and Mike. We met five years ago through Bumble, with an invisible string that included us both going to the same junior high, high school, and college just three years apart. Through testing, we found out that IVF is our only option to conceive at this time. We started our first IVF cycle in May, and …
Soraya and Dani’s love story began in yoga class one Saturday morning in the spring of 2017. Their yin-yang relationship has seen the couple through both joyous and difficult times, and has always managed to bring the couple closer together. Dani is a professional jazz musician who moved to the United States from Israel at the age of 17 to …
To set the scene, it is Chicago, 2012. Courtney is living downtown, and Aaron is in from Wyoming visiting his sister, who just so happens to be Courtney’s best friend. “Call Me Maybe” is blaring on the radio, life is good. But fate had other plans, and they wouldn’t meet again until 2021 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Fast-forward to a …
When we met in college in 2013, we quickly bonded over music and our similar senses of humor. Our strong foundation as friends (and the crushes we had on one another) lead us to beginning our relationship. Eight years later, we’re married and living in the city with our dog, Scout. Gabriella works in the non-profit sector, assisting immigrant and …
Allyson and Matt’s story began in St. Louis when they were 12 years old, and their families met through the synagogue. Shortly after, they started at the same middle school. They became friends and then dated throughout high school. College took them in separate directions, but after graduating, they reunited at Lollapalooza in Chicago. Allyson jumped into Matt’s arms, and …
Amanda and Courtney’s love story, which began in 2012 with a deep connection blossomed into a lifelong partnership when they finally tied the knot in 2021 the only fashion they knew how — a grand adventure! Together, they’ve explored the world with a shared sense of adventure, always seeking new experiences and cherishing the beauty of nature. Now, they are …
Corie and Kevin’s journey began in 2012, when they were seniors in high school. After a few years of uncertainty about their future together, they started dating in 2015. When they got married in 2021, they knew they wanted to start a family right away. After a year of trying with no success, they discovered that Corie had a pituitary …
Prachi and Dev’s story began in 2020, a year filled with promise and the excitement of new beginnings. From the outset, Dev and Prachi were united by a deep bond, forged through shared values and dreams. As they navigated life together, they encountered numerous challenges, each one strengthening their relationship and deepening their commitment to one another. However, none of …
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 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. …