Jeff and Chelsea have been married for seven years. They met at Noodles & Company where they both worked while in college. Chelsea asked Jeff out on their first date, and it was an instant connection. Jeff said he knew from that moment he was going to marry Chelsea. In the summer of 2011, Chelsea joined the United States Air Force and shortly after that they got married in San Antonio, Texas. They always knew they wanted to start a family together, but they wanted to wait until they were closer to home.
After serving in the military, Jeff and Chelsea moved back to Cincinnati, and began trying to start their family right away. After over a year of trying to conceive naturally with no success, they made appointments to see their doctors. Clomid was prescribed and medical tests were done as they continued trying for another 6 months with no success. It was finally discovered that due to a surgery Jeff had as a small child, it was causing him to have a low sperm count. They were told that it was going to be difficult to ever conceive naturally and they were referred to the Institute for Reproductive Health.
It was discussed with IRH that they had a small chance of conceiving with IUI, but IVF was their highest chance. Due to the cost of an IVF cycle, they chose to attempt IUI first. Chelsea and Jeff tried two rounds of IUI, which were unfortunately, unsuccessful. After the second one, it was discussed that IVF would be their greatest hope. The cost of IVF caused great stress, and Jeff began to research family grants. He came across the Parental Hope Family Grant, finding out they were based in Cincinnati and already working with IRH, the couple took it as a sign to apply.
The day they found out they had received a grant, was the day they knew they had the highest possibility of starting a family. Chelsea and Jeff were welcomed with open arms into the Parental Hope family and feel incredibly grateful for their support. They are very excited to start the next chapter of their journey!
***Update: Jeff & Chelsea welcomed their miracle, Grayson Lee, on August 11, 2019!