My husband and I have been together since college and have been married since our mid-twenties. We made our living as actors and musicians for much of our 20s and 30s, and delayed starting a family until we felt we could take on the financial responsibility of being parents.

We had no idea how difficult it was going to be for us to become pregnant. We tried for several years on our own before moving on to IUI. We suffered a miscarriage and several failed IUI attempts before successfully becoming pregnant with our son, Ezra, who is now almost 5, through an IUI procedure.

The pandemic delayed our plans to have a second baby, and when we began trying again, naturally and using IUI, we were unsuccessful for several years. We are so grateful IUI worked for us once and that we were able to have Ezra without a great deal of financial hardship, as our IUI treatments were covered by our insurance. IVF is not.

After two full years of trying naturally and IUIs, we gave up thinking we were going to be able to have a second child, as we did not have the financial means to take on IVF treatments. We are so grateful for the Chicago Coalition for Family Building in opening up the possibility of completing our family. While nothing is certain, we remain hopeful that IVF will work for us. But even if it isn’t successful, knowing that we tried everything possible to give Ezra the little sibling he so desperately wants will help us feel content in whatever future lies ahead.

Dara and Michael are recipients of the Path to Parenthood Grant from the Jewish United Fund – Chicago.