Gormans Beat Cancer, Now Help Them with Surrogacy!
Donation protected
In March 2018, I was diagnosed with stage 3 ER/PR+ breast cancer at only 36 years old. The news was shocking and devastating. And it came at a time when my husband, Matt, and I had been trying, unsuccessfully, to start our family. The diagnosis brought the loss of so many hopes, dreams, and expectations, and we thought it also meant the loss of giving birth to a child of our own. You see, we had previously visited a fertility specialist just a few weeks prior who had given us promising options for IVF. Then, only 2 weeks before we were set to begin fertility treatments, I received my cancer diagnosis.
What we didn’t know at the time, God was just setting us up for the greater story that He wanted to write! We were offered hope when the doctor shared that his training had actually been at the Mayo clinic with young women diagnosed with cancer at an early age and wanted to do IVF to freeze their embryos and have a chance at a family later in life! As a result, prior to starting my cancer treatments, we were able to proceed with the first half of IVF and currently have 8 healthy, viable, frozen embryos (I’m already an octomom!)
So we then turned our focus and attention to battling the Big “C”, as I underwent a double mastectomy, aggressive chemo, radiation, and several surgeries. While that was the darkest and most difficult 18 months of my entire life, I am excited to say that I am currently cancer-free! God worked incredible miracles during that time and He now is taking a season of pain and using it for His purpose. Matt and I have re-entered “normal” life and even more exciting, we have found ourselves dreaming about the future again. Healthy and back on our feet, we are ready to return to those frozen embryos that have been so patiently waiting for us to finish this fight.
But there’s a catch - because of my particular type of cancer, it is not safe for me to become pregnant. This is why we need the help of a surrogate to bring our embryos into the world. As we began praying for God to make a way, we received a text message from a woman we did not know. She shared that we have a mutual friend and she heard about our story. She has wanted to be a surrogate for someone her entire life and no one yet has needed her. So we met, hit it off, and agreed to begin this journey together!
We've got the embryos, we've got a surrogate, all the pieces are in place for us to begin this process as soon as we have the funds available. Had we gone through an agency, the costs for surrogacy would be at least $75,000 but now that we don't need an agency, the minimum costs are closer to $50,000. Prior to starting this GoFundMe, we spent time praying, saving, and seeking wise counsel. This is a financial number that is beyond our means to provide for. We are humbly asking for your help to create a new life and to invest in hope.
When we were going through the darkest season of our life, we felt the Lord provide us with a hope and future through this path and His perfect timing. We can’t wait for the day when we can share the special story of life with our future child and how many people were involved in bringing him or her into the world.
The costs we are asking for are for surrogacy alone. If you are as curious, as we were, about the costs of surrogacy, we’ve included a breakdown below for accountability. If you prefer to donate with Venmo instead to avoid card fees: @Crys-Gorman or @Matthew-Gorman-29.
We could not be more thankful for our community of support and prayer that has carried us through these devastating and yet hopeful circumstances. We would be honored and humbled by your generosity, and we would love if you would share our story to help start our family.
Surrogate Required Expenses:
Medical Screenings - $4,000
Frozen Embryo Transfer (Thaw, one IVF cycle) - $12,000
Attorney & Legal Contract Fees - $4,000
Psychological evaluations - $1000
Escrow account - $1,500
Surrogate base compensation - $10,000
Surrogate monthly allowance for approx. 12 months (travel, vitamins, etc)- $3,000
Medical Expenses - $6000
Additional Health insurance policy and other insurance polices: $5000
Lost Wages Insurance (in case of bedrest): $5000
Maternity clothes - $1000
Breast milk - $3000
Potential Additional Expenses:
Multiple transfer (in case pregnancy is not confirmed on the first try) - $12,000
Multiples - $3,000 - $5,000 each additional child
Invasive procedures (amnio, CVS, D&C, etc.) - $1000
Housekeeping, childcare, and lost wages if the surrogate is put on bed rest. - TBD
Childcare for appointments and birth - TBD
Activation of alternation health insurance policy: $30,000
What we didn’t know at the time, God was just setting us up for the greater story that He wanted to write! We were offered hope when the doctor shared that his training had actually been at the Mayo clinic with young women diagnosed with cancer at an early age and wanted to do IVF to freeze their embryos and have a chance at a family later in life! As a result, prior to starting my cancer treatments, we were able to proceed with the first half of IVF and currently have 8 healthy, viable, frozen embryos (I’m already an octomom!)
So we then turned our focus and attention to battling the Big “C”, as I underwent a double mastectomy, aggressive chemo, radiation, and several surgeries. While that was the darkest and most difficult 18 months of my entire life, I am excited to say that I am currently cancer-free! God worked incredible miracles during that time and He now is taking a season of pain and using it for His purpose. Matt and I have re-entered “normal” life and even more exciting, we have found ourselves dreaming about the future again. Healthy and back on our feet, we are ready to return to those frozen embryos that have been so patiently waiting for us to finish this fight.
But there’s a catch - because of my particular type of cancer, it is not safe for me to become pregnant. This is why we need the help of a surrogate to bring our embryos into the world. As we began praying for God to make a way, we received a text message from a woman we did not know. She shared that we have a mutual friend and she heard about our story. She has wanted to be a surrogate for someone her entire life and no one yet has needed her. So we met, hit it off, and agreed to begin this journey together!
We've got the embryos, we've got a surrogate, all the pieces are in place for us to begin this process as soon as we have the funds available. Had we gone through an agency, the costs for surrogacy would be at least $75,000 but now that we don't need an agency, the minimum costs are closer to $50,000. Prior to starting this GoFundMe, we spent time praying, saving, and seeking wise counsel. This is a financial number that is beyond our means to provide for. We are humbly asking for your help to create a new life and to invest in hope.
When we were going through the darkest season of our life, we felt the Lord provide us with a hope and future through this path and His perfect timing. We can’t wait for the day when we can share the special story of life with our future child and how many people were involved in bringing him or her into the world.
The costs we are asking for are for surrogacy alone. If you are as curious, as we were, about the costs of surrogacy, we’ve included a breakdown below for accountability. If you prefer to donate with Venmo instead to avoid card fees: @Crys-Gorman or @Matthew-Gorman-29.
We could not be more thankful for our community of support and prayer that has carried us through these devastating and yet hopeful circumstances. We would be honored and humbled by your generosity, and we would love if you would share our story to help start our family.
Surrogate Required Expenses:
Medical Screenings - $4,000
Frozen Embryo Transfer (Thaw, one IVF cycle) - $12,000
Attorney & Legal Contract Fees - $4,000
Psychological evaluations - $1000
Escrow account - $1,500
Surrogate base compensation - $10,000
Surrogate monthly allowance for approx. 12 months (travel, vitamins, etc)- $3,000
Medical Expenses - $6000
Additional Health insurance policy and other insurance polices: $5000
Lost Wages Insurance (in case of bedrest): $5000
Maternity clothes - $1000
Breast milk - $3000
Potential Additional Expenses:
Multiple transfer (in case pregnancy is not confirmed on the first try) - $12,000
Multiples - $3,000 - $5,000 each additional child
Invasive procedures (amnio, CVS, D&C, etc.) - $1000
Housekeeping, childcare, and lost wages if the surrogate is put on bed rest. - TBD
Childcare for appointments and birth - TBD
Activation of alternation health insurance policy: $30,000
Fundraising team (2)
Crystal Gorman
Organizer
Keller, TX
Matt Gorman
Team member