Leila and Aric's Surrogacy Fund

Hello! We're Leila and Aric. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our story and the long journey we've had trying to complete our family.

Our story began over 20 years ago, as we are middle school sweethearts! Unfortunately, these two decades were also shadowed by Leila's chronic illness, a condition in which she develops innumerable fast-growing uterine tumors, causing her debilitating pain, and for which she has had 5 major surgeries. Leila, a poet, wrote a book about her experience with this condition, Deluge, which has received national awards and recognition. In the New York Times, Naomi Shihab Nye wrote, "To write a series of poems out of extreme illness is a bracing accomplishment indeed. In Deluge, Leila Chatti, born of a Catholic mother and a Muslim father, brilliantly explores the trauma.” Leila's subsequent collections, The Mothers and Figment, reflect the grief of infertility and miscarriage.

Leila has undergone countless medical procedures in efforts to achieve our lifelong dream of having a child. After years of repeated miscarriages, our medical team has determined surrogacy to be the best and safest way for us to make this dream possible. While this is a significant blow, emotionally and financially, we are determined to do everything we can to persevere. We intend to put every penny we make toward this goal, but because the cost of surrogacy can be upwards of $100,000, we know there is a daunting challenge ahead.

As otherwise deeply private people, we had not imagined sharing this part of our lives, but we also know we want nothing more than to have a child. We are so grateful to you for reading, and for considering helping us make this dream a reality. Thank you, truly, from the bottom of our hearts.

With gratitude,

The Chatti-Velbels