Lucy, British Intended Parent in London, United Kingdom

Explain your reasons for wanting a surrogate/donor:

I have a rare and incurable connective tissue disorder that has put me through the mill (English understatement), and would make pregnancy extremely disabling/impossible for both me and the child. I suffered very much with this condition for years especially before receiving some remedial treatment - I have learned of how the most important thing is love - and to have a family would be more of a grace than at times I ever thought I would be lucky enough to know and to give. So we are looking to see if there is someone out there who might be open to consider giving us the greatest gift imaginable. According to our fertility consultant, there is no guarantee as to whether this will work, but definitely not impossible, and we are putting our hearts and efforts into the quest of trying.

How would you best describe yourself(s):

I and my loving partner are exploring for a gestational surrogate. We are well qualified, care about the world, warm and loving, dedicated and creative. My partner has two masters degrees, including one in Digital Media and another in Holistic Science, and he is a talented writer and helpful team-player, currently working at a flagship academy secondary school. He is also fantastic with children; kind, devoted and playful. I work supporting young people and adults to undertake transformative rites of passage, have a degree from Cambridge University, and have done much work with children. We have some close friends of extraordinary calibre who would be of ongoing inspiration and support, a little nephew who is wonderfully playful, we have a home filled with books (including enchanting children's books that often contain such wise simplicity!), home cooked food, crafts & creativity, a great love of nature, and a "hobbit-like" love of deep abiding goodness. We are extremely warm, and rooted together in the world, and would dearly and sincerely love to have a family.

Use this space to communicate a letter to potential Surrogates/Donors:

If you are reading this, and are considering responding as a potential surrogate, then we are incredibly humbled, almost afraid to hope for such a profound miracle, and yet filled with gratitude and awe. We would love to hear from you, and to explore together with you whether such a voyage feels to be a rightful match for all concerned, and what everyone involved would like and need. In dialogue we would be happy to provide any further information. Our preference would be to find someone as close as possible to where we are based (London, UK), yet are open to exploring with the right person, whoever you may be. We recognise that it is a huge and extraordinarily generous thing you are considering - a gift of immeasurable worth, and not without its potential risk and considerable sacrifice from you. We are respectful that such a relationship would need to find its unique rapport and mutual trust, to be entered a step at a time. We are accepting that miracles can never be guaranteed nor felt entitled to - we are deeply and humbly committed to simply doing our best with love - as for us a family would be the blessing of our lifetime. If we were to embark on this journey with someone we would be committed to enabling it to be profoundly nourishing for all involved. Valuing and respecting your long-term wellbeing, we intend to do all we can in order to do this important principle justice, and would wish for you to always feel our warm welcome. We would love to be a family with all our hearts and have so much to give. If you find yourself feeling moved to help, we would love to hear from you, please do not hesitate to reach out to make further contact: zero, seven, nine, three, one, five, two, six, seven, one, five.