A brief bio on Denise Oliva Steele
In 2007 Denise learned that she would never be able to have her own biological children. The primary reason for her infertility was due to egg quality issues but she was also diagnosed with Asherman's Syndrome and Thrombophilia. Her poor egg quality was uncovered when she and her husband began an IVF cycle; while 4 eggs were retrieved and 3 fertilized, it was determined that all 3 embryos had massive chromosomal abnormalities. Her endocrinologist advised her to consider adoption, an anonymous egg donor cycle and/or surrogacy to start her family.
Before undergoing fertility treatments and pursuing alternative ways to build her family, she suffered 2 losses. It was determined that her first child was Triploidy and did not survive. The reason for her second miscarriage was undetermined.
In 2008, Denise and her husband, Brian, adopted a newborn son through a private domestic adoption. Four days before his first birthday, their identical twin sons were born thanks to an anonymous egg donor cycle. The irony is that Denise is an identical twin herself. Her family is now full and her three sons are all very close and connected. Her oldest doesn't even remember life without his younger brothers.
In 2006 and 2007, Denise chaired a board for Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL. She also volunteered at the same hospital as an infant care nursing assistant.
Professionally, Denise developed sales territories for ad tech start-ups for nearly 20 years. Now, she works on client development for ConceiveAbilities. It's the same agency she and her husband worked with to find their egg donor.
Her journey to become a mother was beyond heart-breaking at times. While she is on the other side of waiting and wondering, she hasn't forgotten the desperation and hopelessness that she endured throughout her struggle.
Her intention in writing her blog is to provide hope and encouragement to those struggling to build their families. In addition to offering informative resources, she also shares deeply honest stories about the grief and pain she experienced during her journey to find her children. While the content focuses on what is often a sad and tumultuous time in one's life, the tone is uplifting and occasionally offers some much needed humor.
She is passionate about helping others find their parental path.
