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 their 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 financial assistance grant.