Dear Prospective Surrogate,

We are E and J. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for choosing to give the gift of life, of hope, and of love to two strangers (for now) who are struggling to bring their long-awaited child into this world. Though we have not yet met you, we already know that you are an incredible and selfless human being who we would be lucky to have in our lives.

Our fertility journey began in October 2018 when I became pregnant while we were living and working abroad in Amman, Jordan. We were over the moon and couldn’t wait to meet our little girl, who we named R. But then one day, when I was 30 weeks pregnant, there was a lack of movement, and we were given the worst news of our lives: R had passed away despite all of the perfect ultrasounds and genetic testing; her heart was no longer beating. I was told that I had to give birth to her lifeless body. They tried to induce me into labor for hours, but, on May 1, 2019, my blood levels began dropping and I ended up giving birth to her via emergency c-section. According to the doctor, nothing appeared to be wrong with R or my reproductive organs, and dozens of blood tests showed that apparently everything was “normal.”

Still distraught, we moved back to the US in February 2020 hoping to heal before trying to conceive again. But then the pandemic hit. Worse yet, a few months later, my dad’s liver cancer came back. His health deteriorated, and he passed away on November 7, 2020 while J, my mom, and I were taking care of him at home. Not long after, we urged my mom to get a CT scan since she had lost 30 pounds in just under 6 months and her belly was distended. She was diagnosed with advanced-stage ovarian cancer. My world was turned upside down yet again, and I became a full-time caretaker overnight. I quit my job and dedicated myself to trying to save her.

We started trying to conceive again in August 2021, despite the high stress levels. After almost a year without any luck we consulted with both a Reproductive Endocrinologist and Reproductive Immunologist, who found that I have obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)—an autoimmune disease that can cause deadly blood clots and vascular issues with the placenta—and several other immune-related issues, all of which likely caused our stillbirth and may also now be causing our infertility.

If I was to carry a pregnancy myself, it would be very high risk for both me and the baby and, in order to try to prevent another stillbirth, I would have to be on many different kinds of medications, some of which are not commonly prescribed during pregnancy and come with negative side effects. Not to mention the huge mental and emotional toll that this would take on me due to the trauma I experienced with my previous pregnancy and birth.

After receiving this devastating health news, we decided to take a break from trying to conceive in order to evaluate the safest way to proceed for me and our future baby. After many months of reflection, discussions, and research, we came to the conclusion that surrogacy is the best option for us. And we haven’t looked back since.

My mom passed away at the end of February after two-plus years of battling cancer. I’m still grieving her loss, but I know in my heart that it’s now time for us to bring her other grandchild—R’s sibling—into this world. We hope you will consider helping us.

With immense gratitude,

E & J

P.S. Here some fun facts about us:

We met in Amman, Jordan (J’s hometown) in 2010, while I was studying abroad, and married there in 2015. We have been living in Boca Raton, Florida since 2020. We have a rescue cat from Jordan named Nahla. We love cooking meals (eating) and making cocktails. We love traveling. We love the beach and nature. We love to laugh and have a good time. We are great communicators, extremely empathetic, and very understanding. J loves his family (he has a big one), being funny, smiling, watching cute animal videos, and is obsessed with soccer. I love reading, writing, photography, gardening, karaoke, and having humorous and deep conversations with friends. Lastly, we love a good adventure.