Family Stories  Paige and Charles We 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 …

Family Stories  Siobhan and Edgar We 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 …

Family Stories  Rachel and Tyler Hello! 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 …

Family Stories  Feryn and Tyler We 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 …

Family Stories  Yesenia and Hector My 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 …

Family Stories  Jen and Travis Having 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 …

Family Stories  Tiffany and Steve My 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 …

Family Stories  Sarah and Sean Our 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 …

Family Stories  Nitzalis Having 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 …

Family Stories  Chrystelle and Brian Chrystelle 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 …

Family Stories  Katie and Robert Bobby 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 …

Family Stories  Sheeba and Ritesh We 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 …

Family Stories  Raquel and Justin We 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. …

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 …

Family Stories  Nicole and Lance We 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 …

Family Stories  Lora and Robert Lora 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, …

Family Stories  Lindsay and Matthew After 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 …

Family Stories  Kristen and Matthew 20My 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 …

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 …

Family Stories  Brittany and John John 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 …

Family Stories  Nao and Nicholas Our 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 …

Family Stories  Josie and Esten Our 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 …

Family Stories  Emilie and Mark Our 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 …

Family Stories  Jeanette and Brian We 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 …

Family Stories  Casie and Clay Greetings 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 …

Family Stories  Amanda and Michael After 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 …

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 …

Family Stories Juliana and Andrew Ever 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 …

Family Stories Kerri and Jason When 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. …

Family Stories  Colleen and Neil Colleen 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 …

Family Stories  Ashley and Kate “We met in 2009. It really was love at first sight, and we were married shortly thereafter in 2012. We have created a beautiful life together, and are the parents of three furry children. Our home is one filled with love, warmth, silliness and unconditional acceptance. There is only one thing that was missing from …

Family Stories  Peggy and Jake “I have worked as a Labor & Delivery Nurse for 15 years and I had helped countless babies come into this world. We want our chance to bring a child into our family with all the most love we have. We both have large, loving and extremely close extended families and friends, who have been …

Family Stories  Amber and Scott “We never imagined we would have trouble getting pregnant, but it has given us a glimpse into the struggle of many. It’s not a road that we walk alone, but it is filled with ups and downs that can feel lonely, and although we are thrilled for those around us that are having children, we …

Family Stories Christine and Brett “I have always wanted five children. Five – not four, not six, but five. We learned that without medical intervention, that number would likely be zero.” Christine and Brett tried for years to have a child before learning they would need IVF to help them make that dream a reality. But like many patients, they …

Family Stories  Kristen and Joe They started trying to have a baby in November, 2014. “You set out on this process to have a child and you naively assume that this is supposed to be the easy part.” It has been anything but and after years of fertility’s physical and emotional pain, Kristen and Joe knew IVF was their only …

Family Stories  Lisa and David “My husband and I are both teachers, and we met teaching at the same school. Being teachers, we’ve always loved kids and knew that we wanted our own children. We tried to get pregnant after our first anniversary and it was a long road.” Lisa and David were recipients of a Coalition grant and as …

Family Stories  Gloria and Vernon They found love and marriage and just wanted to add a baby carriage. After 10 years as “awesome auntie and uncle,” Gloria and Vernon, U.S. Navy enlisted and reserve, respectively, were the perfect couple – but they needed more help to have a family than they could afford. Gloria and Vernon received a donated IVF …

Family Stories Sujata and Swanan After Sujata’s younger sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and found to be BRCA positive (the breast cancer gene), Sujata decided to undergo testing to see if she carried the BRCA mutation. Sujata was BRCA positive and while she did not have cancer, she was concerned about passing the gene on to her children. She …

Family Stories  Jenna and Jordan Their grant application said it all: “We want a baby more than anything. It ultimately comes down to whether or not we can afford IVF.” Jenna and Jordan were financially and emotionally tapped as two weeks after their wedding, Jordan was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had to undergo surgery and chemotherapy. Fortunately, he had …

Family Stories Kandice and Christopher “There has been a lot of hope and a lot of let downs,” Kandice and Chris shared. Chris’s daughter Leah was born with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS), a rare metabolic disorder that is genetically inherited. She is described as, “the love of our lives, and the best part of every day.” They struggled with the decision …

Family Stories  Amanda and John “My husband and I are just like thousands of other couples who are experiencing infertility issues. I just assumed after we got married and planned everything out, next would be a baby. In the blink of an eye the plan I had always envisioned was potentially gone. It’s so scary and daunting yet I tell …

Family Stories Nancy and Frank My husband and I have been together for eight years and we have been trying to conceive for five of those years and counting. When we were not successful with any IUIs, we turned to our final option, IVF. The cost was great, and we were looking for options. When we met Dr. Rinehart, he …

Family Stories  Lauren and Matt “Having children was always something my husband and I had talked about. But this dream appeared to be far reaching when I had some obstacles in my way. Our will to keep going and to have our baby kept us moving forward towards IVF, our best hope, despite the financial burden and the pre-IVF treatment …

Family Stories  Mary Rose and Luke Mary Rose and Luke are Indiana residents who were the recipients of a $10,000 Coalition Grant. “My husband Luke and I are so thrilled to announce that the embryo transfer funded by our 2017 Coalition Grant was successful, and we are now the proud parents of Lawrence Mark, born in May, 2018! Our four-year …

Family Stories  Michelle and Erik Michelle is an English as a Second Language teacher at a high poverty, urban middle school and Erik is trained as a welder. “We have loved each other nearly half our lives and have many more years together. As with any solid relationship, we are a work in progress. In 2015, we quietly began the …