MICHELE, Canadian Intended Parent in Ontario, Canada

Explain your reasons for wanting a surrogate/donor:

Why I am seeking surrogacy? I am 49 years old, which I hope will be an asset in the form of the personal, emotional and financial security I have gained through my life experiences. At the same time I realize that my age, and my eleven year battle with infertility mean that help through surrogacy may the best chance for a safe and healthy pregnancy.

How would you best describe yourself(s):

Who am I? I am Michele. I am a happy, stable, secure, well-grounded, professional woman with modern Christian values, a large extended family and a circle of great friends.I have always been an equity seeker and plan to raise my child to treat every person and every living creature with respect and compassion; to live with integrity and to stand up for what is right. I highly value education, appreciate the arts and have a passion for travel. I love to laugh and never take myself too seriously. I have overcome all sorts of adversity in my life and understand the difference between living my key values and celebrating diverse personal choices.

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

Pick me! Pick me! It’s hard to know where to start, but maybe I can begin by saying thank you for considering giving this amazing gift. For those of us who have faced the agony, grief, and profound disappointment that goes with infertility, the opportunity to work as a partner with someone who can help fulfill a lifelong dream of having a family means more than words can say. Mine is a unique story, and I think is a great fit for someone with the life experience and the imagination to see how loving families come together in lots of different ways. I was raised in a large, loving family with lots of sisters and brothers and plenty of aunts and uncles.Ours is a traditional large extended family that is warm and open and loving that includes half-siblings, step-children, adoptees, foster children – a fact that usually shocks people, as there is nothing “half” or “step” or anything else visible in our relationships. When we gather for family dinners and events – as we very often do – we’re just all jumbled together as a family. If you’ve seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding, just change the Greek to Jamaican, and that’s us! I always planned and looked forward to having a family of my own. In the meantime, I hugely enjoyed my role as favorite aunt to many nieces and nephews, and honorary nieces and nephews among my friends’ children.I also worked in the community, using my social science degree to work as a caregiver helping people with disabilities to integrate in to the community. I also worked as a human rights advisor before returning to school to study law. Today, I work as a labour lawyer, helping to resolve workplace issues, making sure employees are treated fairly and respectfully. I have been successful in my career, which has allowed me to be financially stable. Beyond that – and I know this probably sounds corny! -- it has always been really important to me to find a way to make some kind of social change and really feel like I am not only focussed on making a living, but in my own way, making the world a better place. In *** I met my future husband and we married in *** Though my husband and my new step-children were rapidly integrated into my family, we hoped to have more children. With no baby on the way after 10 months, we began the very emotional journey of fertility treatments. We were overjoyed when I became pregnant, and devastated when that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. It was a cycle that was repeated several times, with more and more pills, injections, surgeries, and doctors and procedures. There was the exhilaration of learning I was pregnant, and then the crushing blow of miscarrying weeks or months later. After almost a decade of trying, we were extremely saddened to be left with no baby. My husband was diagnosed with leukemia and although he survived the 17 month treatment, he was quite changed afterward and determined that he wanted to venture out on his own for the rest of what he felt was a new life. He remained supportive of my desire to become a mother and consented to my use of our remaining frozen embryos. We entered into a legal separation more than 2 years ago. Perhaps we share some of the same notions about what the IP-Surrogate relationship would like. I would love to have regular communication during the pregnancy by telephone or skype or in person. Ideally, I would like to attend at least the milestone doctor's appointments and definitely the birth. Post surrogacy, I would appreciate being able to obtain regular supplies of breast milk from you for at least six months.Beyond that, I would see our relationship continuing to the extent that comes naturally or that you desire--ranging from no communication to regular updates in pictures, letters or even visits. I will be open with my child about the gift of surrogacy and fully expect the child to want to meet the author of our blessing. If you have the compassion, the love and the experience to help make a new traditional family in some non-traditional circumstances, we could be a great match.