For Derek and I, family has always been at the center of our lives.
This year marks nearly 10 years together, and throughout our relationship we have built a life rooted in caregiving, resilience, and love. Early into our relationship, we unexpectedly stepped into a parenting role when my infant niece’s mother suffered a devastating post-partum stroke. Together, we helped raise and care for her during some of the most formative years of her life.
At the same time, we were also caring for my mother as she battled leukemia. For years, our lives revolved around supporting the people we loved most. While difficult, those experiences reinforced something we already knew deeply about ourselves: we wanted to build a family of our own.
In 2025, our lives changed forever when both my mother and sister-in-law passed away within six weeks of each other. The grief was overwhelming, but it also brought clarity. Derek and I realized we could no longer continue putting our dreams of becoming parents on hold.
After recently renovating our townhome and creating a space we truly envisioned as a family home, it finally felt like the right time to take the next step toward growing our family. We even have a beautiful bedroom nursery where my niece stays. It’s a room that has become incredibly special to us and one we have long envisioned as a warm, loving space for our future child as well.
Like many intended parents in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly male same-sex couples, we quickly learned just how financially overwhelming fertility and surrogacy journeys can become. Between fertility treatments, donor and surrogacy consultations, legal processes, and medical costs, the expenses add up rapidly.
To make this dream possible, Derek has worked especially tirelessly by balancing not only a full-time job, but also part-time work and gig opportunities to help shoulder the financial burden. Meanwhile, I have continued managing many of our family responsibilities while also selling products online to contribute additional income wherever possible.
Receiving the Not My Tummy Grant from Fertility Friends Foundation has meant more to us than we can properly express. Beyond the financial support, it has provided something equally important: relief, encouragement, and hope. It has reminded us that our dream of creating a family is possible.
We are incredibly grateful to Fertility Friends Foundation for investing in families like ours and for recognizing the unique challenges that LGBTQ+ intended parents often face on the road to parenthood.
This grant is helping turn a dream we have carried for years into something real and for that, we will always be thankful.
Recipients of the Spring 2026 Not My Tummy Grant