Help Us Try Again - Surrogacy Funds

Hi everyone … Mike and Paul here. We’ve started this fundraiser to start a family through surrogacy after our first attempt ended tragically. We just can’t manage the costs alone. Those of you who know us might be aware that we are very private people who never want to ask for help. As hard as this is to share, it’s even harder to think that we might never have the family we’ve always wanted, which is why we are telling our story.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the start of our journey. Instead, it’s more of turning point. During the pandemic, we sold our house and took out over $60,000 in credit cards to cover the cost of our first surrogacy journey. We ended up getting pregnant with twins, but sadly just after we entered the third trimester, we lost our baby boy and girl in a tragic yet likely preventable event, one that the doctors told us they never witnessed in their careers.

The tragedy of losing two babies was difficult enough, but that difficulty was doubled by the financial burden we were left with. Because our first journey ended in the 3rd trimester, we already spent over $170,000 to cover associated costs (i.e., egg donor fee, embryo creation, surrogate compensation, medical bills, lawyers’ fees, etc.). None of that money could be recuperated or transferred to another journey. Even worse, when it came to submitting insurance claims and taxes, we learned that gay couples do not receive the same coverage as heterosexual couples with infertility issues, so barely any costs were covered or deductible.

People say family is everything, and we are doing everything we can to try one more time, all while still paying off the debt from our first failed attempt. We are both big-hearted educators who have cared for other peoples’ children for over 20+ years. Now, we just want our own children to love and care for. We are also both in our mid-40’s, so this will definitely be our last attempt at having a family.

The money raised through this fundraiser will help cover the costs associated with the surrogacy agency (Brownstone Surrogacy) and the cost of our gestational carrier, once we find her. Anything can help, even sharing our page and story with others. And, if you know anyone who might be willing to be our carrier, please also let us know.

We thank you for helping to create our family.