Dena Kohleriter had always planned on having a family. But, when she was 36 years old and hadn’t yet met the person she wanted to build one with, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Ten years later she came to StoryCorps in Dallas, Texas with her 8 year old daughter, Jori, to talk about that time.

Top photo: Dena Kohleriter and Jori Kohleriter at their StoryCorps interview in Dallas, Texas on November 8th, 2019. By Mia Raquel for StoryCorps.
Middle photo: Dena Kohleriter and Jori Kohleriter, courtesy of Dena Kohleriter.
Bottom photo: Dena Kohleriter’s great aunt Roszi and her daughter, courtesy of Dena Kohleriter.

Originally aired January 3rd, 2020 on NPR’s Morning Edition.