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. …

​​Melissa and John matched on a dating app, Coffee Meets Bagel, in March 2020. They quickly bonded over a shared sense of humor and positive outlook on life. They also enjoy living a healthy and active lifestyle together. Everything fell into place, and they married in their backyard with their closest family members in attendance. After being unable to achieve …

I am so grateful for the help of CCFB/JUF in my journey to becoming a parent. I am an educator who conducts research on Jewish languages. I come from a long line of strong Jewish women, and I am looking forward to creating my own mishpacha (מִשׁפָּחָה – family). I hope to update soon with good news! Lily is a …

Nicole and Alex are a couple of nerds living in one of Chicago’s suburbs. Nicole has her LCPC and works for a nonprofit mental-health outreach agency, and Alex edits books. They share a love of board games and their three cats: Rogue, Siryn, and Pixie (whose names are all both fantasy terms and X-Men characters). The couple first met at …

We met back in 2015 and during our almost nine years together, we have partnered through life’s challenges, from struggling with personal health issues, through pandemic isolation and job changes, and surviving the loss of a parent. We have always been a dynamic pair, by each other’s side whenever it counts. You won’t find one of us without the strong …

Our journey together began in Chicago where we first met in 2015. We married in June 2020, during the peak of Covid, and later on were able to safely celebrate our marriage with friends and family in June 2022. Eager to start a family, we were excited to become pregnant in November 2022. During the third trimester, abnormalities were detected …

Rus and Yosi met nine years ago and have been married for almost eight years. Rus was born and raised in NYC while Yosi is a native Midwesterner. Together, they love traveling the world, and also enjoy cooking and baking. Rus and Yosi have experienced infertility in multiple forms over the last several years and are extremely appreciative of the …

Eugene and I (Jenna) met online in 2015 and have been inseparable ever since. We share a love for family, food, travel, and our dog, Maddie.  We completed comprehensive genetic testing in 2023 and learned we are both carriers for the same genetic disorder. This news was quite a surprise to both of us, as well as our families. After …

Carley and Ethan’s journey together began at the University of Illinois, where an AEPHi/AEPi event brought them together. Both hailing from the north Chicago suburbs and pursuing degrees in Economics, their connection was immediate and enduring. After graduating, their adventure took them to several cities – from San Francisco to Los Angeles, then back to Chicago, and finally settling in …

Hi all! We’re Brianna and Ben.  We’re city-loving Chicagoans who met through an app (Coffee Meets Bagel) 7.5 years ago, and had our first date at Jeni’s Ice Cream on Southport Ave (try the Brown Butter Almond Brittle!).  Our lives have since become centered around our little Southport Corridor, including getting married at our favorite restaurant (Ella Elli) in 2020 …

We met back in 1999, when we were both in fourth grade. After a long friendship and an even longer courtship (including five years of long-distance dating), we got married in December 2015. As we began planning to expand our family, it became clear IVF would be our most likely path to having a successful outcome.  We are so excited …

The first night we met was at an event called “Jews and Brews” where we felt the chemistry right away. After sitting down at our table, we ended up talking for so long that when we finally looked away from each other we realized that everyone else who had started the night at our table had long since left the …

We have always wanted to be mothers but as lesbians, we knew our journey to parenthood would be different than the paths of our straight friends. We are so grateful that the CCFB/JUF grant is helping us to complete our queer bayit ne’eman b’yisrael (faithful Jewish family).  We are both deeply involved in the Jewish community and excited to raise …

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 …

Thanks to the Chicago Coalition for Family Building, Kim and Jeff were proud to welcome their twins, Eve and Emilia, in 2019!

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 …