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 …
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 …
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 …
Family Stories Kimberly When I was young and people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always replied “a Mom.” I always thought that I would meet the person I was supposed to be with, get married and have a decent size family. I knew I wanted to be a Mom way before I knew what …
Family Stories Priyanka and Rupendra I met Ru when he came to visit his family in Nepal, after the earthquake, which affected most of Kathmandu. Later, we were married in a family ceremony in Nepal and I moved to Lisle, Illinois to join him. Both of us have always dreamt of having children together. However, it has been very challenging …
Family Stories Claudette and Darren We met 12 years ago on Match.com, which was pre -Facebook, -Zoom and -What’s App. It was a long-distance romance, with Darren living in the United Kingdom before he moved to the United States, nine years ago, when we were married. Being in our late thirties, we knew growing a family may take a bit …
Family Stories Katie and Sean Katie is a carrier of Alport syndrome, a hereditary disease related to a mutation on the X chromosome. The disease causes hearing loss, cataracts, and kidney failure, and although it is inevitable that the symptoms will develop, it is impossible to know when. This disease has had a major impact on Katie’s life; her father …
Family Stories Brittany and Matt While they had often discussed the possibility of adoption, Brittany and Matt’s journey really started this past March when they decided they were ready to start their family. Due to a flareup with Brittany‘s ulcerative colitis, the doctor told Brittany that it was not a safe time for her to become pregnant. Having given prior …
Family Stories Sabrina and Daniel My husband and I have been together for ten years this January. Half of those years have been spent trying, without success, to have a family of our own. We were diagnosed with unexplained infertility earlier this year. The realization that not only were we unlikely to conceive on our own, but also that our …
Family Stories Allison and David Our fertility journey began over six years ago, after trying to get pregnant on our own for over a year. We received the devastating news that David was sterile, and we would never be able to conceive on our own. We sat down and discussed our options, and decided that we wanted to pursue embryo adoption, to give …
Family Stories Sarah and Sean Sean and I got married 9–almost 10–years ago. We always knew that we wanted to start a family, the only question that came up was when. We started trying about six months into our marriage, hoping for a child. When nothing was happening, the frustration began to grow. We watched family members and friends begin …
Family Stories Emily and Mike We live in Chicago and have always wanted a family. But in 2017, Mike was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Mike began an immunotherapy and chemotherapy regimen which meant we would have to stop trying to conceive naturally. In 2018, we began working with Dr. Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron at the Fertility …
Family Stories Chaka and Christian I am one of five in my family and the oldest at that…my father is an Army veteran and we had the privilege to grow up all over the world. Because my father was gone a lot, I had to help my mother take care of my four siblings. When we moved back to the …
Family Stories Christina and Benjamin We met in Houston in 2012, when we were both in graduate school. Music brought us together and has been at the center of our lives. Christina is a professional pianist, and Ben is a composer and pianist. We both adore children and have worked extensively with them as music teachers. We each come from …
Family Stories David and Matt Our family journey began in January 2018 when we were introduced by text from a mutual friend. We knew from early on we were a great fit for one another and were engaged six months after those first texts were exchanged. We compliment each other with our differences, and are united by our shared beliefs …
Family Stories Michelle and Thomas My wife and I have been trying for six years and we both have been diagnosed with infertility. We have been through depression, anxiety, frustration, and loneliness. My wife and I love volunteering and giving back to the community. We volunteer with our local forest preserve. We also volunteer at a center that helps low income …
Family Stories Jessica and Scott We are very thankful to be grant recipients. Our wish is to complete our family and this grant is giving us that opportunity. We look forward to starting this journey, and our goal is to help Jewish United Fund continue to provide this honor to other hopeful families dealing with infertility. Jessica and Scott are …
Family Stories Ariel and Benjamin Ben is currently a first-year Emergency Medicine resident in Chicago’s South Side and enjoys giving back to his community. Ari has recently started a women’s health telemedicine company and both are excited to move closer to our dream of starting our family! As a veteran, Ben has been active in organizations like Veterans Anti-Violence as …
Family Stories Rebecca and Justin Justin and I met in college and got married in 2015. We knew kids were in the future for us. However, we knew it wouldn’t be an easy journey as I had cancer twice as a teenager and was unable to carry a baby. After three egg retrievals, we were beyond thrilled when our only …
Family Stories Michelle and Mike Hi! We are Michelle and Mike, and we have been together for six years (married for three and a half years). We spent much time and money on dating websites, and then ended up meeting in person! Michelle was dancing for a DJ company (a second job) at Mike’s cousin’s Bat Mitzvah, and we have …
Family Stories Kynise and Keva It all started at a daycare in Peoria, Illinois, where we both worked. As time went on, Kynise and I became friends. Friends turned into best friends and that turned into a relationship that is seven years and counting! We moved to Chicago in 2018 to begin our family. While in Chicago, I became the …
Family Stories Andrea and Ryan We met just after college through some mutual friends. After five years of dating, we eloped at the Grand Canyon. Before starting a family, we had decided we would do all the “usual” things couples do: buy a house, save money, travel, get dogs, and enjoy just being a newly married couple. After our first …