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 we have made. Yet, this journey has turned out to be the most challenging path we have encountered. After a year of unsuccessfully trying to conceive, we began to realize we may need more help. This started the dizzying experience of several infertility tests and procedures, which led to the diagnosis of unexplained infertility. As the months went by, the dream of starting a family seemed to feel further out of reach, and because neither of us have insurance coverage for infertility treatments, we felt trapped.

Having access to the medical treatment we need to start a family through this generous grant has given us new hope. We are so grateful to the Chicago Coalition for Family Building for this and for the reminder that we are not alone. That in this isolating journey of infertility, there is a community of people making a difference.

Hannah and Dan are the recipients of a donated IVF cycle from our Partner Practice, Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.