Dan, Natalie, Elie, and Eyal Ledeen. Courtesy: Natalie Ledeen 

HFLA is a partner of Shalom Austin 

By Wendy Corn

After struggling to get pregnant, Daniel and Natalie Ledeen were determined to do whatever it took to have a family. Natalie took fertility medication and tried intra­uterine insemination, all without success. The Ledeen’s learned the medical community viewed fertility as a choice and thus seen as a flexible gray area when it came to covering expenses.

While they knew about some fertility-specific lenders, the high interest rates were not conducive to affordable fertility treatment for them. After feeling their financial options closed, the couple stumbled upon Hebrew Free Loan and then remembered it from growing up. After speaking with Tracy Solomon, co-founder of Hebrew Free Loan Austin, the Ledeen’s took a leap and became the recip­ients of the first HFLA fertility interest-free loan.

“It was so refreshing working with Tracy and HFLA,” Natalie said. “Genuinely excited for HFLA to help our family in this targeted area, Tracy found a donor who wanted to support fertility treatments and work with us.”

“Learning IVF was our journey is not what we wanted to hear, it’s an expensive and emotional path, and success is not guaranteed. We were trying to understand all our options and wrap our minds around grants, and geograph­ically specific scholarships which didn’t exist in Austin,” Natalie said.

One way Natalie seeks to pay it forward is to host a fertility support group in the future to have a part in growing future generations.