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 their 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 …
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 …
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 …
Family Stories Jacqueline and Oscar We have known each other for 11 years, and have been married for 4 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 Life Grant after our fertility doctor …
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 …
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 …
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; …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Family Stories Jeanette and BrianWe are Brian and Jeanette. We have been together for 13 years and married for 10 years. 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, …
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 …
Family Stories Amanda and MichaelAfter a few years of not getting pregnant on our own, we sought the help of a reproductive endocrinologist. We were still unsuccessful after going through several IUI procedures over a four year span, trying different medications and never missing an appointment. When we found out that the next step was IVF, we thought our dreams were …
Family Stories Lindsay and Shawn“We are Lindsay and Shawn, a young (ages 30 & 34), happily married couple of over eight years who cannot wait to complete our family with a child. After trying to conceive on our own and with fertility treatments for four years, we realized adoption was our destiny. Our experience with infertility not only opened our eyes …
Family StoriesJuliana and AndrewEver since they married in 2012, the couple dreamed about their future family. Andrew is a high school principal and Juliana is an elementary school counselor. They couldn’t imagine a future without little ones of their own.“I always knew I wanted to be a dad,” says Andrew. “As soon as I met Juliana, I knew even more. …
Family StoriesKerri and JasonWhen Kerri and Jason Stallard married nine years ago, they knew they wanted to have a family. The pair hoped to have a biological child of their own, and then adopt a child. Jason’s father had grown up in an orphanage, and the couple had seen firsthand the effects of someone not having a family. “The idea …
Family Stories Colleen and NeilColleen and Neil began trying to conceive in 2010 without any concerns about infertility. It was a slow realization that something was not quite right.After numerous failed treatment cycles and complications, they decided to pursue adoption as the best route to have a family.“We were devastated and at a loss for how to move forward. We were …