Posts tagged Intended Parent
Episode 131: Faith, Cancer, and Surrogacy – Paige McCoy
Episode 131: Faith, Cancer, and Surrogacy – Paige McCoy

Paige is a cancer survivor turned cancer advocate and mother to an energetic two-year-old son. Married in 2012, she never anticipated having to overcome a variety of obstacles to have a family. When unexplained infertility forced her to undergo multiple rounds of IVF, she never wavered. When leukemia unexpectedly struck three weeks before an embryo transfer, she kept her eye on recovering so she could one day pursue parenthood. And when the cancer treatments eliminated her ability to carry a child, she matched with a selfless surrogate to carry the embryo she dreamed about for years.

Today, Paige dedicates her life to helping other young adult cancer patients fight their diagnoses, knowing that a caring support system and documented bucket list are as strong as any medicine. In her spare time, she and her family alternate completing her personal bucket list created in the hospital with typical two-year-old activities like digging in dirt and memorizing construction vehicles. She lives in Denver with her husband, Jeff, and son, Bradley, whom she named after the bone marrow donor that gave her a second chance at life, and given the opportunity, she would love to grow their family by one more through another surrogacy journey.

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Episodes 126-150Tyler EllisCancer, Infertility, Intended Parent
Episode 127: Three Paths To Parenthood – Brett Griffin-Young
Episode 127: Three Paths To Parenthood – Brett Griffin-Young

Brett and his husband live in England and are proud parents of three children: one through genetic (traditional) surrogacy, one through adoption, and one through gestational surrogacy. Brett regularly appears in the media advocating for and promoting surrogacy and adoption paths to parenthood. Brett is passionate about challenging inaccurate perceptions of surrogacy and adoption and supporting people in understanding and navigating these paths.

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Episodes 126-150Tyler EllisGestational Carrier Experience, Intended Parent, LGBTQ Parenthood
Episode 108: How I Became Your Mother: My Global Surrogacy Journey - Ginanne Brownell
Episode 108: How I Became Your Mother: My Global Surrogacy Journey - Ginanne Brownell

Since beginning her journalistic career in 1993 as an intern at CNN’s Larry King Live, Ginanne Brownell has covered stories in over 45 countries and on six continents. She worked on staff for CNN (Washington, DC) and Newsweek (London) and is currently a London-based freelance writer covering arts, culture, development and education stories.

Her writing has been appeared in publications including the New York Times, Financial Times, CNN, Conde Nast Traveller, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Scientific American, Salon, Foreign Policy and Washington Post. She has also done media consulting for UNICEF and J.K. Rowling’s Lumos Charity. Ginanne is the co-founder of she-files.com, a webzine highlighting stories about women written by women.

Ginanne is in the process of completing two narrative non-fiction books. "How I Became Your Mother: My Global Surrogacy Journey", is both a personal memoir about becoming a parent through surrogacy and also a journalistic deep dive examining a number of debates, discussions and conversations taking place internationally about surrogacy. Meanwhile her book "Ghetto Classics: How a Youth Orchestra Changed a Nairobi Slum" examines the role that music can play in community development.

Most importantly, she is the very proud mom of cheeky but exceedingly sweet three-year-old twins who were born via surrogacy in Illinois.

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Episodes 101-125Tyler EllisAuthor, Intended Parent, International, Surrogacy Expert
Episode 106: My Surrogacy Journey - Anna Buxton
Episode 106: My Surrogacy Journey - Anna Buxton

Like many women, Anna Buxton’s journey to motherhood was far more complicated and painful than she had ever realized was possible. Two missed miscarriages and subsequent surgeries to remove the pregnancies left Anna with severe scarring of the womb -- a condition known as Asherman’s Syndrome. Five operations over 16 months failed to correct the scarring and Anna was told that she would never be able to carry a pregnancy.

Anna is now Mum to three children born through surrogacy. She is also part of the team behind a new non-profit UK surrogacy organization that is doing things differently – My Surrogacy Journey. 

About My Surrogacy Journey:  My Surrogacy Journey is a UK surrogacy organization unlike anything that exists. We offer the most extensive emotional, practical, and logistical support that has ever been available to intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors for both domestic and international surrogacy.

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Episodes 101-125Tyler EllisEgg Donation, Intended Parent, International, Loss, Mental Health
Episode 104: Fifteen Months In Thailand - Bud Lake
Episode 104: Fifteen Months In Thailand - Bud Lake

Bud Lake is originally from New Jersey and moved to Madrid, Spain in 2001 to learn Spanish. Almost 20 years later he is still in Spain and now married with children. Bud met Manuel in Madrid in 2010 and moved to Valencia to live with him in 2011. In 2012 they were married and in 2013 their first son Álvaro was born via surrogacy in India. In 2015 their daughter Carmen was born in Thailand. Every surrogacy journey is its own special and unique journey.

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Episodes 101-125Tyler EllisIntended Parent, International, LGBTQ Parenthood
Episode 100: Ghosts of the Republique- Jonathon Narducci
Episode 100: Ghosts of the Republique- Jonathon Narducci

Jonathon Narducci is an award-winning commercial and music video director and cinematographer. He graduated from the University of Iowa, receiving his BA in Film and Comparative Literature with a focus in documentary filmmaking. Prior to the University of Iowa, Jonathon studied art and photography in Paris through Parsons School of Design. It was the time spent in Paris that ignited his love for cinema.

Jonathon’s feature-length directorial debut, Love Me, was an official selection at HotDocs Film Festival in Toronto. The film’s premier and success at HotDocs led to its distribution in over 20 countries worldwide. Additionally, Love Me is currently available for streaming on Netflix. His sophomore feature documentary, Ghosts of the Republique, is currently in post-production. The film follows the trials and tribulations of a gay French couple attempting to have a child through surrogacy, despite France’s national ban against surrogacy. Jonathon has also worked as the Director of Photography on the critically acclaimed international film, Out of the Village, which has premiered at more than 70 film festivals around the world.

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Episodes 76-100Tyler EllisIntended Parent, International, LGBTQ Parenthood, Surrogacy Expert
Episode 97: My Mom Carried My Triplets – Dr. Camille Hammond
Episode 97: My Mom Carried My Triplets – Dr. Camille Hammond

Dr Camille Hammond is a passionate leader wife and mother. She is national expert in reproductive health and adoption education support advocacy and philanthropy. She is also the owner of the publishing house Guud Books about Tough Topics and the author of several books. She is the co founder and CEO of the Tinina Q Cade Foundation (CadeFoundation.org) and her articles have been published in both peer reviewed journals and magazines and newspapers throughout the US.

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Episodes 76-100Tyler EllisIntended Parent, Surrogacy Expert
Episode 95: Our Daughter Is American, Too - Derek Mize & Jonathan Gregg
Episode 95: Our Daughter Is American, Too - Derek Mize & Jonathan Gregg

Derek Mize and Jonathan Gregg are a married couple that, like others, dreamed one day of becoming parents. When their daughter was born in 2018 by surrogacy in the United Kingdom they were overjoyed. Given that both dads are US citizens and legally recognized as their daughter’s parents, they never imagined that their baby daughter would be denied recognition as a US citizen, too. But she was! With the help of Immigration Equality, Lambda Legal, and pro bono counsel from Morgan Lewis, they brought suit against the US government in order for their family to remain intact and their daughter to receive the recognition of citizenship she was entitled to.

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Episodes 76-100Tyler EllisIntended Parent, International, Legal Issues
Episode 94: Nightmare Judge Orphans Surrogate-Born Child - Jay Timmons and Rick Olson
Episode 94: Nightmare Judge Orphans Surrogate-Born Child - Jay Timmons and Rick Olson

Jay Timmons and Rick Olson, a Virginia-based couple, started their family with the help of surrogacy. They had two amazing daughters and thought their family was complete when a friend asked if they would be willing to consider an embryo donation. For their third child, the dads were matched with a surrogate in Wisconsin. However, just weeks before the birth of their son, a new judge was appointed to their case, for what they thought were routine judicial proceedings. The judge’s extreme views lead their family to experience a nightmare of epic proportions.

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Episodes 76-100Tyler EllisLegal Issues, LGBTQ Parenthood, Intended Parent
Episode 83: Stuck Abroad - Carolin Topelson
Episode 83: Stuck Abroad - Carolin Topelson

Carolin is originally from Mexico City. Her family moved to Denver when she was five, where she has lived most of her life. Carolin practices in the areas of real estate related litigation and business litigation. Specifically, Carolin’s practice has primarily focused on landlord-tenant law (both commercial and residential evictions and review of leases), mechanic liens, general real estate matters, homeowner association issues, partition of real estate, business disputes, and contracts. In her spare time, Carolin likes to ski, be with family, cook, travel and volunteer for different causes.

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Episodes 76-100Tyler EllisIntended Parent, International, Legal Issues
Episode 81: Father, Attorney, Advocate - Ryan Ferrante
Episode 81: Father, Attorney, Advocate - Ryan Ferrante

Ryan's career as an Assisted Reproduction Technology attorney was born of a personal, four-year infertility struggle shared with his wife. This challenging experience to start his own family gives Ryan a unique perspective - one of an intended father, a party to a gestational surrogacy agreement, and an experienced attorney - to fully understand the emotional, practical, and legal issues facing patients when pursuing infertility treatments. Ryan earned his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago and Bachelor's Degree in Finance from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Ryan is a professional member of RESOLVE, the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association.

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Episodes 76-100Tyler EllisAdvocacy, Intended Parent, Legal Issues, Infertility
Episode 77: Experiencing Surrogacy - Emily Field and Melissa Fleck
Episode 77: Experiencing Surrogacy - Emily Field and Melissa Fleck

Emily Field and Melissa Fleck are co-authors of “Experiencing Surrogacy.” Emily overcame a long, hard, and emotional road for her to finally become a mom with the help of Melissa, her gestational carrier. Emily is very open about her fertility journey and feels that, when you go through something difficult in life, who better than you to do something about it for others. Emily and her husband Gregg started Field Fertility in 2016, which is a legal and consulting business working with intended parents, surrogates, egg donors, sperm donors, and embryo donors.

Melissa currently spends her time as a mom to two very active kids, is a wife to a hardworking law enforcement officer, and is an active member of the surrogacy community. She has been working at the Center for Surrogate Parenting, Inc. since 2016, where she is a surrogate case manager. Having been a surrogate herself, she gets to pay it forward by interviewing and guiding potential surrogates on their surrogacy journey, working for the same agency that brought her and her intended parent and coauthor, Emily, together. Melissa also enjoys working out at her local boot camp-style gym, watching her kids play sports, attending Dodgers games, spending time with friends and extended family, and watching as many movies as she can.

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Episodes 76-100Tyler EllisGestational Carrier Experience, Infertility, Intended Parent
Episode 74: You Can’t Do That In Michigan - Stephanie Jones
Episode 74: You Can’t Do That In Michigan - Stephanie Jones

Stephanie Jones is a former automotive engineer and now works as a serial entrepreneur, executive coach, and business consultant. Stephanie is passionate about advancing surrogacy laws in Michigan and helping educate intended parents about the surrogacy journey regardless of where you live. After having a son and then experiencing two rare cornual ectopic pregnancies and a near death experience, surrogacy was Stephanie and her husband’s only option for expanding their family with a child that shared their DNA.

Interesting facts about Stephanie include that she raced ATV motocross, was nominated to the Miss Michigan pageant, was a top athlete in high school, likes dogs more than people (on most days), is obsessed with 1950’s vintage fashion, mud wrestled in Vegas, loves a good tequila on the rocks, and will always be a small-town Michigan girl no matter where life takes her.

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Episodes 51-75Tyler EllisAdvocacy, Intended Parent, Surrogacy Expert
Episode 70: Will Halm, Esq.
Episode 70: Will Halm, Esq.

Will Halm is the Managing Partner of International Reproductive Law Group.  He has specialized in the field of assisted
reproductive law for over 20 years.  Will is a magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, and received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He is the father of three children through surrogacy and egg donation.  

He has devoted his legal career to surrogacy and egg donation law. Will’s legal work in the field of assisted reproduction has been featured in numerous documentaries, television programs, publications, and books, including 20/20, NBC News, The New York Times, UK Guardian, the Advocate, and others. 

Will has set a number of legal precedents in the field of assisted reproduction law, including being granted, in 1998, the first parentage judgment to a same-sex couple in a gestational surrogacy case. Will is a member of the American Bar Association, Assisted Reproductive Technology Section and Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys.

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Episodes 51-75Tyler EllisIntended Parent, Legal Issues, LGBTQ Parenthood
Episode 55: The Danish, The US, And The Intricacies of International Surrogacy - Kaspar Arianto
Episode 55: The Danish, The US, And The Intricacies of International Surrogacy - Kaspar Arianto

For Kaspar and his husband starting a family meant the world. Literally. They travelled from Denmark to the US to fulfill their dreams of having twins. Coming from a country were surrogacy is considered a legal grey zone, planning their journey went beyond budgeting for immense economic and emotional costs. They also had to factor in potential legal backlash, insurance problems and one looong flight home.

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Episodes 51-75Ashley OldIntended Parent, International, Legal Issues, Surrogacy Expert
Episode 45: 7 Surrogates: A Heartbreaking Tale of Determination — Sherman Taylor
Episode 45: 7 Surrogates: A Heartbreaking Tale of Determination — Sherman Taylor

Sherman grew up in Ohio and enjoys a successful career as a chemical engineer. He and his husband longed to be parents. Unfortunately, they experienced more bumps in the road and more heartbreak than any hopeful parents should ever have to endure. Sherman is dedicated to giving back and is now the incoming chair for Men Having Babies, a non-profit dedicated to providing education and support to gay men wishing to become biological parents through surrogacy. 

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Episodes 26-50Lindsay JeffersonIntended Parent, LGBTQ Parenthood, Surrogacy Expert
Episode 30: Being Your Own Advocate Through Infertility — Ashlee Hammonds Shares Her Journey
Episode 30: Being Your Own Advocate Through Infertility — Ashlee Hammonds Shares Her Journey

Ashlee is an infertility advocate, former intended parent, mom of twins, and surrogacy agency owner. (In other words, she is a super woman!) She has been featured as an educator for All Things Surrogacy, serves as a Fruitful mentor and is a member of ASRM and SEEDS. She enjoys offering support to those battling infertility, as well as to intended parents and gestational carriers interested in surrogacy. She is the owner and founder of Family Makers Surrogacy. 

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Episodes 26-50Lindsay JeffersonInfertility, Intended Parent, Surrogacy Expert