Building Our Family in Honor of Baby Cooper

Hi everyone,

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. My husband, Kevin, and I have always dreamed of starting a family. About two years ago, we embarked on the journey of surrogacy. After a long year of waiting, we were thrilled to finally match with a surrogate in January 2024.

Our excitement grew with each update and ultrasound, and at our 20-week scan, we discovered we were having a baby boy. We decided to name him Cooper Riley Regan-Safstrom, a name filled with so much love and hope.

In July, we traveled back home to celebrate the Fourth of July with our family, eagerly awaiting Cooper's arrival in the months to come. But on the night of July 6th, our world came crashing down. We received a message from our surrogacy coordinator that our surrogate had been admitted to the emergency room with severe pain.

On the morning of July 7th, at just 24 weeks and 5 days, our son Cooper Riley was born. Tragically, he did not survive. Our hearts were shattered. The grief was indescribable, and we were left trying to process the loss of the family we had dreamed of for so long.

As months have passed, we’ve reflected deeply on how to move forward. While the surrogacy journey gave us hope, the pain of losing Cooper has made us realize that emotionally, we cannot go through that process again. That’s why we’ve decided to pursue newborn adoption.

Adoption feels like the right path for us, but as many of you know, it is an incredibly expensive process in the U.S. With agency fees, home studies, legal costs, and other expenses, the financial burden is significant. However, what matters most to us is creating the family we’ve always dreamed of.

We’re asking for your help to make this dream a reality. Your support will bring us one step closer to welcoming a child into our lives and hearts. Every donation, no matter the amount, brings us closer to building the family we’ve always wanted.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for listening to our story and considering helping us on this journey. Your kindness and generosity mean the world to us.

With love and gratitude,

Matthew and Kevin

We LOVE you Cooper Riley!!!