Embryo Recipient Stories

When the doctor's gave us a 0% chance of conceiving naturally, we never lost hope that we would start a family. We spent years praying and then felt led to begin the adoption process. We now have a beautiful baby boy through the miracle of adoption, but our family does not yet feel complete. We would love to have 2 or 3 more children & would love the chance to experience pregnancy.

Erik Quick Facts
Age: 43
Job: Engineering Manager for Steel Power Pole Company
Education: BA in Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering
Favorite Things: Fishing, hunting, camping, baseball, playing guitar and cooking
Favorite Movie: The Blind Side, Gladiator, and Dumb & Dumber
Favorite TV Show: Chopped
Ethnic Heritage: Norwegian
Talents: Playing guitar, building houses, smoking salmon, and making clam chowder (award winning!)

Kelsi Quick Facts
Age: 37
Job: Language Arts & Social Studies Middle school Teacher
Education: Masters in Teaching
Favorite Things: Gardening, having people over for dinner, fishing, going to concerts, singing in the car, and story telling around the campfire
Favorite Movies: Braveheart, Pride & Prejudice, and Slumdog Millionarie
Ethnic Heritage: German & Irish
Talents: Story telling, fixing hash browns with gravy, & getting lost in foreign countries

The Three most important things to know about us…
1. We Love God: We do our best to follow biblical teachings and the example of Jesus. To us, loving God means we seek Him in our decisions & choose a life that is honorable, honest, humble, and full of thanksgiving. IT DOES NOT MEAN that we just go to church or stamp a Christian label on our lives. Erik is the volunteer worship leader at our church. Children in our home will be raised to seek God’s best, His wisdom, and His guidance.
2. We Love Each Other: Without getting too sappy, you need to know that we are just crazy about each other and genuinely happy together. We believe in holding each others needs above our own & never giving up on trying to make our marriage strong, joyful, and fun. Children in our home will grow up seeing a healthy, committed, loving relationship that is far from perfect, but full of grace.
3. We Love Other People: We believe in being intentionally kind, patient, generous and loving to everyone (whether we “feel” like it or not). It is not our place to pass judgment on the beliefs or choices of others. Instead, we make a conscious effort to just “love people anyway.” In hard times & daily living, people need our prayer, not criticism. We are certainly not saints, but every day we get better at showing love to others because it is a life priority to us. Children in our home will see us intentionally choosing kindness over criticism, patience over snap-judgments, and generosity over selfishness-Not just when its easy, but also when its hard.


Dear Donor,
We don’t know if your story and our story will one day intertwine… but if you chose us, the immensity of the privilege and depth of the responsibility you are entrusting will never be forgotten. We will love the child(ren) born with all the love we possess. Words can not express the gratitude we will have for the people who make us parents & our son a big brother!
Thank you,
Erik & Kelsi

Hello,

Thank you for considering the difficult decision to donate your embryos. Your decision may give us the chance to grow our family. My husband and I have one 3 year old son who was born happy and healthy in 2008. He is the light of our lives! We never expected there to be any problems when we decided to expand our family, but unfortunately there were. We have been trying for almost 2 years with no success. I have undergone various tests and taken medication to no avail. Recently Jen was diagnosed with poor/diminished ovarian reserve. We were very shocked by this diagnosis and had not expected it to be so difficult to expand our family. Nonetheless, we now have fewer options to become pregnant and carry a child. We've considered IVF, but due to my diagnosis, we think that embryo adoption will be a better path for us.

My husband's name is Steve. He has his bachelors degree in civil engineering and currently works full time in the transportation field as a civil engineer. He has recently gone back to school to pursue his MBA. Steve's hobbies include fixing stuff around the house and working on cars. He places a lot of value on setting goals and working hard to achieve them. He is a determined individual and has proved this by going back to school to obtain his engineering degree while continuing to support himself. He ensures that his family has a good life by working hard everyday and being there for us. He hopes to someday travel with the family to fun and exciting places.

My wife's name is Jen. She has an associates degree in business management and works full time in a daycare center for a college in our area. Our son currently attends the daycare center where Jen works and enjoys it very much. We love the fact that Jen can continue to work while also being just a few steps away from the needs of our child. I can honestly say that I've never seen a mother show more love towards her child than what Jen shows to ours! You can rest assured that any child raised in our home will experience the same level of love and attention that our son currently receives. Jen's favorite hobbies are baking with our son and spending time with loved ones.

Our parenting goals essentially consist of providing a loving, happy, and stable home for our children while also ensuring that our children are disciplined, motivated, and ready to become successful adults in the difficult world we live in. We have and will continue to relentlessly work towards these goals with our children, however, we're also aware that sometimes we just need to step back and enjoy the many wonderful things we have in our life.

We very much want to have another child and we hope that you'll consider us when you make the honorable decision to donate your embryos. We guarantee that we'll provide a happy, healthy, and stable home for any future children we're blessed with.

Warmly,
Jen & Steve

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us! Even if not chosen, please know that we both are beyond touched and appreciative of the generous gift you are considering sharing with other couples like us.

"We" are J and K, a young (32/33) same-gender (female) couple who were both raised in fairly large families; J is one of five children from her biological parents, and K is one of three children from both of her biological parents who have been married for more than 40 years! Since before we met, both of us have felt very strongly about raising a family in a two-parent household and our individual desires to be moms. However, K learned very early (around 18) that with the degree of polycystic ovarian syndrome she has, it is extremely unlikely that she ever will be able to conceive, even with fertility treatments. J has no known fertility issues, which makes us a truly blessed match!

After researching many options and learning about embryo donation, we felt being recipients of an embryo donation was like a sign from God. We had previously attempted to conceive using donor sperm but were unsuccessful; additionally, we have suffered through multiple arrangements for sperm donations falling through, leaving us heartbroken beyond words. We have learned though our journey that there several additional roadblocks that limit same-gender couples from being able to conceive or create families together. So, when we learned that there were couples who had struggled with conception and were now choosing (regardless of sexuality!) to help others know the joy, purpose, and love of becoming parents, we both decided this was the way we wanted our children to come into the world: as products of an act of pure, unconditional love.

Occupationally, J has an A.S. degree and is an emergency services communications officer (supervisor) with a police agency, an agency she has been dedicated to for more than 10 years. K is finishing her M. Ed. degree and is a former-journalist-turned-teacher (tenured) and media adviser at a public high school; she is also very active with youth advocacy organizations. Together, we enjoy being outside and camping and hiking frequently. We are very fortunate to live and work in one of the most beautiful regions of the United States! We hold very close to our hearts the values of love, faith, and compassion toward all life; we strive to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves and speak out for those whose voices have been silenced. Possessing a strong work ethic is important to us, and we believe the key to happiness rests in moderation and balance. We have adapted our lifestyles to foster long term health, fitness, and wellness, ensuring we will enjoy our grandkids' grandkids! We are very close with members of our family, who all extremely excited and supportive of our journey toward parenthood.

Thank you again for taking the time to learn about us, and for considering us in the process of embryo donation. Our hearts are filled with hope for our own future, but please know they are already overflowing with gratitude for the generosity you are willing to share with whomever you choose.

I am 45 years old, divorced and have one daughter who is 18 years old. I always was hoping to have a second child but it never happened. I always dreamed to have a son. First I thought it was my husband, that's why I did not became pregnant. Then I was too busy to find out what the reason, that I did not get pregnant. Then with my second husband, I did not become pregnant. So I started worrying and now I know it is me, that is unable to get pregnant.

I really wish to have a second child for years now and I hope my dream comes true.

Hi, our names our Tim and Meredith. Thank you for taking the time to read our story. We are a Christian family in Maryland ready to love and care for a child. Meredith is a teacher, and Tim works in sales. Our careers allow us the financial resources to pursue this avenue for becoming parents.

We have been married for about 18 months, and are ready to start our family. We know that, due to a medical condition that Tim has, we are unable to conceive naturally. I have desired to be a wife and a mom for as long as I can remember. While I was growing up, my mom operated child care in our home, and I was actively involved in caring for the children. I started babysitting at an early age, and my love for children only grew when I became a preschool teacher. Embryo donation/adoption provides us the best opportunity to experience all that goes into having a baby without going through fertility treatments and without having to use a sperm donor. It also allows me to be able to experience pregnancy and for us to be able to have some control during the pregnancy.

We enjoy spending time together, as well as with family and friends. We have a strong support group ready to see us become parents, and also become an active part in his/her life. They are genuinely excited for us and are eager to see this play out. We also enjoy traveling, going to sporting events, and bowling, although not very good at the latter. :) I (Meredith) play the piano and enjoy reading, swimming, and photography. Tim plays the baritone and enjoys watching our evening shows together, sinking while I swim, and standing behind the photographer as the best way to stay out of pictures. (He is a good sport on vacations and humors me while I document these memories.)

Our marriage is strong and we wish to complete our family with the child(ren) we could otherwise not have, while giving life to already created embryos. We would be honored to be chosen to be a part of this awesome adventure. Thank you for helping to give us an exciting alternative so that we can complete our family.