Kynise and Keva

It all started at a daycare in Peoria, Illinois, where we both worked. As time went on, Kynise and I became friends. Friends turned into best friends and that turned into a relationship that is seven years and counting! We moved to Chicago in 2018 to begin our family. While in Chicago, I became the department chair of the Special Education department at a charter school on the West Side of Chicago and Kynise is currently in the process of becoming a Chicago Police Officer.

While on this journey, late 2019, Kynise and I decided to take our relationship to another level. After an engagement, after dogs and after a house, we were still missing something. At the beginning of 2020, we decided to start a family! Being a lesbian couple, we knew this journey would not be easy. With research and recommendation, we discovered Dr. Hirshfeld-Cytron at Fertility Centers of Illinois. After tubes of blood, polyp removal, ultrasounds and the first round of IUI, Kynise and I experienced our first negative pregnancy test.

Dr. Hirshfeld-Cytron and her team did not want Kynise and I to give up. But we were financially confused and lost. With another recommendation, I applied for a grant through the Chicago Coalition for Family Building and we received the grant! Now we have the opportunity to continue our journey to becoming parents!

Kynise and Keva are recipients of a Family Building Financial Grant.