The beginning of our story is not unlike many love stories; we met, fell in love almost instantly, and were married surrounded by family and friends. The middle is where we have found our challenges as the path to parenthood has encountered many twists, turns, and seemingly impassable mountains. We are hoping with the support of this grant, we will be blessed with the happily ever after family that we have dreamed about.

We both knew from the start that we wanted to become parents and were naive to believe it was as easy as pursuing the “next step.” We were over the moon to find out we were pregnant in September 2020, which devastatingly ended in miscarriage. It was hard to comprehend the loss we both felt for someone we had never had the chance to meet.
We met with doctors and continued to hear that everything looked good and that it may just take some time. I knew that time wasn’t a luxury we had. After our wedding, we hit the ground running and were willing to meet with anyone, try anything, prayed hard, and hoped for the best. After several unsuccessful rounds of IUI, we were ready for the next step. We pooled together our savings, received help from family and friends, and began our IVF journey.

During this process, my eyes were opened to the reality of how many people struggle with infertility. Kind families were willing to share their personal narratives, challenges, losses, and successes. Along with these stories came the reality of the financial burden these families have experienced. Unfortunately, our outcome was not successful, and again we felt that sense of loss and hopelessness that can only be understood by families that have gone through this journey.

With the news that we are receiving a donated cycle grant, our hopes are renewed and we have another chance! We cannot thank the Chicago Coalition for Family Building and their partner fertility clinics enough for literally providing us with the chance of a lifetime.

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