Help Us Grow the Meant 2 Be Family

Hi friends, family, and Meant 2 Be Podcast fam —

We’re Marvin and Rachael. If you’ve ever listened to our podcast, you know we love to laugh through the chaos, talk honestly about relationships, and share the real, unfiltered parts of life together.

Today, we’re sharing one of the deepest, most vulnerable parts of our story:

we’re raising funds to grow our family through IVF and surrogacy.

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A Dream That Started With Teddy Bears

For as long as Marvin can remember, he’s wanted to be a dad.

As a kid, he didn’t just have teddy bears — he took care of them. They had bedtimes, dinner, and even little story times. That early instinct to nurture never went away. As we grew together as a couple, that dream evolved into something we’ve pictured a thousand different ways:

• Tiny feet on hardwood floors.

• Saturday morning cartoons and pancakes.

• First days of school, graduations, and the everyday moments in between.

Being parents has never been a “maybe.” It’s always been part of our “meant to be.”

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Why Surrogacy?

Rachael has a medical condition called vasovagal syncope and collapse, which causes sudden drops in heart rate and blood pressure that can lead to fainting and loss of consciousness. Because of this, pregnancy would carry serious risks for both her and a baby. As we went through further testing and evaluations, we also learned that it would be next to impossible for Rachael to get pregnant and safely carry a pregnancy.

After consulting with doctors and specialists, we came to a painful but clear conclusion:

Rachael is not an ideal candidate for pregnancy.

We grieved that loss. But we also knew something else:

Our story as parents didn’t have to end there.

With the help of modern medicine, an incredible fertility team, and a future surrogate, we have a path forward to bring our child (or children!) into the world.

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We’ve Come This Far On Our Own

So far, we’ve paid for everything out of pocket — every consultation, every test, every lab, every step leading up to this point. We’ve stretched savings, cut back on extras, and done everything in our power to move one step closer to holding our baby.

Now we’re facing the biggest financial hurdles:

• IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) treatment

• Surrogate medical care and compensation

These costs are… a lot. Even with careful planning, there’s only so far we can go alone. That’s why, after a lot of thought, prayer, and humble reflection, we’re inviting our community into this part of our journey.

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“Why Not Just Adopt?”

This is an important question, and we want to honor it with a thoughtful answer.

Adoption is absolutely part of our story.

We do want to adopt in the future. We’ve always talked about providing a loving, stable home for a child who needs it. The idea of opening our door and hearts to a child in need lights us up, and we fully intend to pursue that path one day.

At the same time, we also carry a very human desire to create a life between the two of us — to see Marvin’s smile in a little face and Rachael’s expressions in those same eyes. Surrogacy allows us a chance to experience that biological connection while still holding space for adoption down the road.

It isn’t an either/or for us. It’s a both/and.

We believe our family can grow in more than one beautiful, valid way.

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How Your Support Helps

Your generosity will go directly toward:

• IVF treatment and related medical procedures

• Surrogate medical expenses and compensation

• Required legal fees and screenings to ensure everyone is protected and cared for

Every single dollar brings us one step closer to the day we can introduce you to Baby Meant 2 Be.

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No One Is Obligated — Truly

We want to say this as clearly as possible:

You are not obligated to give.

Your support, in whatever form it takes, already means the world to us. If all we’ve ever done is keep you company on your commute, made you laugh during a rough week, or given you a moment of comfort through our podcast, we’re already incredibly grateful.

But if our story has moved you —

if our humor has ever made your day a little lighter —

and you feel led to help us build the family we’ve dreamed of,

then we would be deeply, deeply appreciative.

No amount is too small. Truly.

And if you can’t give financially, sharing this GoFundMe with your friends, family, group chat, or social feeds is a powerful way to help us reach the people who might be able to support.

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From Our Hearts to Yours

Doing this publicly is scary. It’s vulnerable. It’s humbling.

But we also know that so much of our journey — our love, our laughter, our honest conversations — has been shared with all of you already.

We like to think of this GoFundMe as one more chapter in the Meant 2 Be story:

Two best friends, partners, and co-hosts who just want the chance to pour that same love and laughter into a little one (or two) of their own.

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for believing with us that our family is, truly, meant to be.

With all our love,

Marvin & Rachael