Intended parents

Debra Posen

Doing their journey in Canada

About them

Hi, we’re Debra (an environmental consultant) and Daniel (an engineering professor working on climate change and other environmental issues)! We are an energetic, science-loving couple from Toronto, ON. We have been together 9 years and have a wonderful 4 year old boy named Riley and an adorable & stubborn 5 year old poodle named Archie. We love travel, board games, logic puzzles and a wide range of sports (some to watch and some to play!)

Our path to surrogacy involves testicular cancer and a maternal heart condition (aren’t we the pair!), which means Debra cannot safely be pregnant. We’ve been able to take it all in stride and life is pretty much back to normal except for the walk-in pharmacy in our bathroom! With the help of a surrogate, we now look forward to bringing home a little baby brother or sister for Riley into our family!

Relationship status

Married

We’ve been together 9 wonderful years, and married for 6. You would think our joint interest and background in engineering and environmental work is how we met; but actually…we were set up on a blind date, by a blind date! Daniel likes to recount how after 12 years living abroad, he: (1) moved back to Toronto, (2) started his first big-boy job (as a professor), (3) met Debra, and (4) turned 30 all within a 4 month span! Oh, and he both discovered and had surgery for cancer – almost entirely between our 2nd and 3rd dates … he was adorable hobbling into our 3rd date on a cane because he refused to cancel.

We've been together for

5 to 10 years

Kids today

Riley is an adorable 4 year old boy, who is bright, creative and full of non-stop energy. We love fostering his curiosity through make-believe, stories, art and science experiments. Being lucky enough to see him grow, learn, try and succeed has been such an incredible journey of love for us.

We see how sweet, gentle and engaging he is with his younger cousins and we know he will be an amazing big brother, which he is constantly reaffirming to us. He has even offered to give a younger brother or sister any of his toys to play with.

Their journey

Home area

18 Montclair Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada

Approximate area

Journey country

Canada

Embryos

Yes.

Six currently frozen PGT-A tested embryos: 5 euploid (normal) and 1 mosaic

Clinic

CReATe Fertility Clinic

Agency

Not using an agency

Lawyer

Lisa Feldstein

What they're looking for

Their hopes and requirements for a surrogate

Requirements

Based on general fertility clinic guidelines: BMI below 40

Previous pregnancy with no major complications

No more than 3 C-sections

Between the age of 21-42

No current type 2 diabetes or hypertension

Non smoker/ drug user

Not currently breastfeeding

The relationship we hope to build

Our ideal match would be to find a surrogate who we can build a trusting relationship with. We would want to spend time with her and her family, whether this be going out to a festival, staying in to play board games, or chatting about the latest book or show they've enjoyed. Our primary concern will always be the surrogate's health. Therefore, we would want a surrogate who is willing to work with an OB and have a hospital birth for the safety of both the baby and the surrogate.

Vaccination information

We are pro-vaccines and would like to protect both the surrogate and baby with the appropriate, recommended vaccines.

Views on termination

We would consider termination due to medical issues, genetic screening or surrogate's health.

The intended parents

Debra Posen

40 years old

Communicates in

English

Occupation

Environmental Consultant

39 years old

Occupation

Professor

Their story

Questions & answers

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