Lyndsey and Michael

Growing up as an only child, it has always been my dream to have at least two kids. I was fortunate to get pregnant with my daughter on our first try (with my ex-husband). I had an easy pregnancy, labor and delivery, and my daughter is healthy and happy. After going through a divorce, I started dating Mike, and he quickly became a positive father figure for my daughter.

When Mike and I got married, we weren't trying to get pregnant, but we also weren't using any contraceptives. I got pregnant unexpectedly, but suffered a miscarriage at nine weeks. We decided to actively try conceiving a few years later and worked with my gynecologist for a year. We finally had a positive pregnancy test but suffered another miscarriage at seven weeks. It was now time to work with a fertility specialist. After a year full of failed IVF cycles, we decided to take a break from trying to conceive. We recently made the decision to try again, but wanted to work with a different doctor to get a second opinion. We started right away with a round of IVF but didn’t have any luck.

Five years of trying to get pregnant has not only taken a toll on our mental health, but also on our bank account. Without this grant, we wouldn’t be able to afford any more IVF cycles, and our dream of building our family would come to end. Thank you so much for supporting us and helping us give our daughter a sibling!

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