“I’m sorry, there’s no heartbeat” – it came gently with much remorse - for even having to be the one to be saying those words – something no doctor wants to be doing – they are the words no first-time mom and dad should ever have to hear! But unfortunately, it does happen. Far more often than we ever knew before my daughter and son in law came to being on this journey that they did not choose - that no one would choose to be a part of.

It immediately and forever changes you when you hear those words. It changes who you are as a person, your priorities, and who you will become forever more. No parent should ever have to go home to an empty quiet home after delivering their baby. With no living children to go home to, it only deepens the wound. The quietness of it all once you get home is suffocating.

On July 23, 2024, our daughter (and son in law) delivered Camden, held his lifeless body, felt his tiny little hands and feet, rubbed her fingers across his face along his lips, his nose, his eyes and ears, and through his dark black hair that he had accumulated in her womb for the previous 28 weeks. It was something that she would only get to do once. She held him close to her body, wrapped in a blanket, just as if he were alive, just like all the other babies in that maternity ward were that day. And they loved hard, if only for a few short hours. She did not share the happiness of all the other mothers that day. Our daughter was broken. From the depths of all she had, at that point in time, she was a broken woman.

In what should be the happiest moment for any parent/grandparent to be experiencing, it was the absolute saddest moment of her life, their life, our life, both our family's lives. We know this because we were right there by her side. Feeling her pain and not being able to do anything to help her was excruciating. Our daughter for just a few short hours was able to hold her son before her and her husband had to let him go. They had to leave the hospital empty handed.

And now they can only talk and visit with Camden at his grave. Dreaming of each milestone, of what he could and would and should have been. Who Camden would have turned out to be as a living person. Talking to him, asking him for the strength they still need to keep fighting the fight, to having their living family. All the while knowing so many other beautiful happy babies that were born that day or right around the time when Camden was supposed to be born or even since then, are living their beautiful happy lives without a care in the world......as all babies and parents should be doing, and as we all want for each and every one of them.

As parents of faith, we know Camden is in a better place right now by the Lords side, and that our daughter and son in law and all others will see Camden again for eternity at some point down the road. Despite all the pain, we still believe the Lord is a loving, giving Lord.

But as time continues to move forward as it always does, and you move further away from the loss of Camden, you would hope that your prayers would be answered and that the gut punch of losing Camden would lessen as more opportunities come to fruition for seeing your daughter hold her first living baby in her arms.

And then the cold slap of reality hits you square in the face.

And it becomes even harder to watch as your daughter loses a part of herself time and time and time again since the horrible loss of Camden - notably- 5 miscarriages - and 2 failed IVF transfers, all in the last 18 months.

The heartbreak echoes a little louder with every additional loss. The smile and laughter fade a little more with every loss.

The consistency of medical appointments and hours upon hours of internet searches for self-educating themselves to finding answers to questions that have yet to find a solution are mentally draining for our daughter and her mom, Kelly.

As a couple, and as individuals, they continue to find moments of happiness on a daily basis despite losing themselves to the pain, and loneliness, and grief of their journey.

But they never give up. Our daughter Katey continues to go to work each and every day with a smile on her face as a public-school elementary teacher. She continues to mentor/tutor students outside of school in order to help these kids flourish.

Her husband, Will is a RN Nurse Manager at a local hospital while at the same time, studying to becoming a Nurse Practitioner, never missing a day of work, and despite it all, showing an unbelievable amount of strength of positivity despite each loss.

As a parent from the outside looking in, he has not only been my daughters rock of support but to us, we hold Will in such high regard as a man and husband and father, knowing that he will do whatever it takes to make sure our daughter is ok.

And despite everything else that's going on, this is what helps us sleep well at night and work every day knowing that our daughter's well-being is in very good hands.

With her most recent pregnancy loss just confirmed this week, here at the beginning of February, 2026, after going from having great ultrasound results of their living baby just the Wednesday and again on the Friday before, that was then followed by all the euphoric but guarded feelings that this one is different, because it was different, thoughts creeped in that this may be the baby that makes it. And then, within just a few short hours after euphoria, the bloodwork results come back, and they find out that her numbers across the board are not elevating the way they should be. We were still praying for a miracle, until her appointment 5 days later, 2 days ago, confirmed that Katey lost the baby. Again. Rinse and repeat. Sadness. Fear. Anger. Blank Stare.

This is just a small snippet of the emotional rollercoaster of having a stillborn child, recurrent miscarriages, and the IVF world that she has since entered into, that is all placed on a couple, but especially the woman.

But in true never give up form, just a few short hours after the heartbreak and crying and anger of seeing the failing numbers, we as a team were all back at it, talking about solutions rather than giving in to the sadness.

Katey and Will were willing to get back up on the horse again, as they always do, to seeking out other alternatives to getting them their family they so desperately want. No rest for the weary.

And that's led them to start talking about the very expensive world of surrogacy and to this moment in time, to this Go Fund Me Page.

The Valentine's Journey to Surrogacy.

We are people who do not like to ask for financial help. Getting here to this point in the game has already been incredibly difficult. This journey has been emotionally and financially overwhelming well before this day.

It is on average $100k to $200k per surrogacy, and our daughter and son in law are trying to have multiple children, let alone a first living child. It's costs for the most part, are not covered by insurance.

So here we are, asking for help from the heart.

Every prayer on their behalf by name (Will and Katey) is truly appreciated as, above all else, we do very much believe in Jesus and his Father and the Holy Spirit, including in the Power of Prayer. So, thank you ahead of time for saying a prayer on their behalf. They need as many of them as they can get.

Every time you share this link via social media or through family or friends, it is met with our utmost sincere gratitude to getting this link out there to as wide a net as possible. As important as the donations are, this is a very close second to being the most important way you can help, so a very big thank you goes out to you for sharing.

Every donation, no matter how small it may be, is so incredibly appreciated as it brings Katey and Will one step closer to welcoming a living child into their arms. It will take a village to get there, so very much appreciated no matter the amount if you so choose to be a part of this village.

As an fyi, should you choose to donate, please make sure that you choose the tab to the left to make a Give Once donation and not the tab to the right to make a Monthly donation that it is automatically set by Go Fund Me to be on by default. This way you will not have any additional fees or monthly recurring donations taken out of your account.

Also make sure you slide the green automated tip line to the far left to 0% that sits below the 17.5% percent that is set by default by Go Fund Me so that you are not charged for a tip (unless you so choose to).

At the same time, we are actively looking for a surrogate(s) in order to avoid the time and high costs of having to go through an agency.

The compensation will match or exceed what a local agency will pay for both compensation and additional costs.

If you or someone you know would like to start a conversation, where you can help your own financial situation out with a substantial amount of additional income and if the timing in your life is good right now to be the loving, caring carrier to providing our daughter and son in law with their first living child, please email Mark through the message portal and the email that is connected to this page.

We carry Camden into our hearts always - each and every day and we will forever......and we certainly believe his spirit lives within Katey and Will each and every day, but we also believe the heartbreaking story of Camden and Katey and Will does not end with Camden.

We believe and hope and pray that it’s just the beginning of a very happy love story, with a great ending that includes their own living children.

The beginning for them to having a living family right now is through surrogacy. That the spirit of Camden that lives through his mom and dad every single day right now, will soon enough, be living through his living siblings as well.

We want to recognize that unfortunately we know that our daughter and son in law are by no means alone in this heartbreaking world of the difficult journey some women and couples have/are going through with having to experience the stillborn/recurring pregnancy loss and/or infertility issues world. All you have to do is search social media to find out more about it. It's out there for any and all to see and very easy to find.

It's much too large a group than it ever should be in this beautiful country of ours that's supposed to be the best of the best from a medical standpoint.

Hopefully something changes in our medical world over the coming years and decades to lessen the size of this group that is an incredibly hard world to be a part of.

Our heart and prayers go out to all of these women and couples. It is an agonizing, lonely world, and one that every woman and couple want out of as soon as possible. Our empathy and support for this group will never end.

At the end of our daughter and husbands time for having children, if there is anything left over from this Go Fund Me account, we will donate any leftover funds, to the penny, publicly by name, to another couple who is in need of financing to go through Surrogacy or IVF to start their family.

So much love to you all for even taking the 10 minutes to just reading this. Have a wonderful day and Superbowl Weekend and beyond.

With unending gratitude and love,

Mark and Kelly Hurley

Saratoga Springs, NY