SURROGACY STAFF
KATHRYN KAYCOFF-MANOS, MA - Co-Director
When my husband and I married in 1999, we decided to start a family right away. Five years, 6 fresh IVFs, 3 frozen embryo transfers, over 100 embryos and 2 Gestational Surrogates later, we became the proud parents of identical twin boys. As you can see this was not a simple journey. I encountered many situations and professional (and some not so professional) people. It was a heart-wrenching, expensive journey and I wish that I had met others who could have advised me. But since reproductive medicine and surrogacy were relatively new territories, I had to make my own way along many dark corridors.
When my husband and I were informed we would have to pursue Gestational Surrogacy to achieve our dream of a family, we were devastated. This was not how we ever imagined it would be. I called and interviewed various agencies before striking out on my own. I learned a great deal in this process, some through making wise choices…many through making mistakes. I found myself talking for hours on the phone with other Intended Parents, offering suggestions, contacts, information and insights from my own experiences. I found that people who had opted to use an agency often felt that the company was focused on the happiness of the Surrogate and treated the Intended Parent’s needs as secondary. As we all know, all parties’ needs must be addressed in order to reduce stress and have a happy pregnancy. It was obvious that what was needed was someone who would look out equally for the best interests of the Intended Parents and the interests of the Gestational Surrogate Mothers. This agency was my response. We work with a team of surrogacy specialists – Reproductive Endocrinologists (REs), lawyers, psychologists - who are top in their fields. We're proud to offer the same services as the other top agencies but with a much more personal, easily approachable touch.
I have not always been involved with the world of infertility and surrogacy -- before I began my struggle to become a parent, I worked for over 15 years as a television producer, writer and director. Surprisingly, having a baby through surrogacy is a bit like producing a successful television show. Both need creativity, lots and lots of coordination, attention to detail, and the ability to deal with all different types of people, while keeping your eye on the desired outcome.
Running my company and helping people through their surrogacy journeys are things I do from the heart. Surrogacy and pregnancy are very emotionally turbulent situations, and I hope to make the experience as simple and as free of anxiety as possible for everyone involved.
LAURI BERGER DE BRITO, BS - Co-Director
I had no idea the roller coaster ride my husband and I were in for when we decided to start a family. I was 36 years old when we got married. We thought we were being smart when we decided to cut to the chase and instead of wasting precious time trying on our own (although we certainly didn't stop the trying!) we went straight to a fertility doctor. I was thrilled but not very surprised when we got pregnant our very first unmedicated IUI. That's the way it was supposed to be, right? My pregnancy was uneventful and my daughter announced herself to the world 3 1/2 weeks early. We quickly started trying for #2.
We went for another unmedicated IUI. Lo and behold, I got pregnant. I strolled in for the first ultrasound, which showed a perfect little fetus with a strong heartbeat. At nine weeks, the heartbeat was gone. I was shocked. So were my doctors. They assured me I would get pregnant again and it would stick. Well, I did get pregnant again… and again... and miscarried each time. I was thrust into a world I never knew existed. I became a member of a club I didn't want to join. With each infertility procedure, each test, each pregnancy and miscarriage, I found myself sinking deeper and deeper into a very dark place. We tried everything -- immune testing and therapies, consultations with top clinics and REs from around the country, donor egg -- nothing worked. I did IVFs, ZIFT, DE/IVF, heparin, etc. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. I really didn't know where to turn…then my husband brought up surrogacy.
First, we interviewed with top agencies but their approach was all about the money with no regard for our emotional state. We eventually “settled” for an agency that had an available GS. Our Surrogate was wonderful, our agency was not. It was then that I turned to my dear friend Kathryn (who had now started her own agency) for help. She helped keep us focused and grounded.
Our little girl was born in May 2005. Then 18 months later, our same wonderful Surrogate delivered a little boy into our lives. My husband and I are so grateful to our Surrogate. My children are the light in my life and it's hard to believe that I was once so depressed about our infertility that I could barely get out of bed.
Like Kathryn, I too had a career in television before infertility consumed my life. I was a producer/director/writer. I produced many programs, but now every time I 'produce' a surrogacy, I am much prouder of the outcome. There is nothing more rewarding and ultimately as important as bringing a child into the world who is so very, very wanted.
CARRIE HONIGBLUM – Surrogacy Case Manager
It was the spring of 1995, and after almost a year of trying to conceive, I finally got a POSITIVE EPT Test. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. I was thirty-four, happily married, working as a writer-producer on a family sit-com and now I was going to have a family of my own (without the laugh track, of course). My husband and I had just bought a two bedroom house (one would be for the nursery) and a Volvo wagon. We were good to go. Well, that was until week seven, when I started to spot. My doctor told me that unfortunately it was not a viable pregnancy -- in other words, a miscarriage. My doctor assured us that first trimester miscarriages were common, and not to get discouraged. Nine months later, I was pregnant again…until week seven -- another miscarriage. This time, I had fibroid surgery and in six months was pregnant again. But week seven came - and with it miscarriage number three.
Throughout my infertility, I never lost my ability to be happy for friends and family who were having their first, second and even third babies, but in my private moments, I felt like shouting, “This is so unfair!” The second bedroom was becoming a junk storage area, the Volvo wagon already had 15,000 miles, and I was now thirty-six. My husband and I decided to give it one more try. I got pregnant, but all I could do was dread “week seven.” But it came and went, then week eight, then week nine, and at ten weeks we heard a heartbeat. We could barely hear it over the pounding of our own hearts. On August 23rd, 1998, I gave birth to a 6 lb. 11oz. baby boy.
After Harrison's birth, I suffered two more miscarriages. When my son was a little over a year, the television show I was working on was cancelled. I had to admit I was relieved. I was so grateful to finally have my son, and I was no longer willing to give up sixty to eighty hours a week of his little life.
It was in my son's schoolyard that I met a woman who knew Lauri & Kathryn. She told me about their work with infertility and surrogacy. Not only was it fascinating, it seemed so gratifying. So, when a position opened up, I jumped at it.
As a writer I always love a great story. Now with my position, I get to meet Intended Parents and Surrogates with the most amazing tales and journeys. Many of their stories are filled with twists and turns and life’s complications, but when they get together, they come up with the most incredible endings -- and most of them have something to do with a baby. I feel so fortunate to help and to be a part of that.
MARNEE ROSSON - Surrogacy Case Manager
I'm a Colorado native who now calls Virginia home. I have been blessed with two daughters, now eleven and nine, conceived without medical treatment. But not being part of the world of infertility doesn't mean it hasn't touched me deeply, from my friend who became a surrogate so her best friend could realize her dream of having a child, and my dear friends who went through multiple rounds of IVF to conceive their beloved daughter, to my friends and neighbors in Virginia who were matched by Lauri and Kathryn with an amazing Maryland surrogate who gave birth to their son last year. While I mourned their losses and celebrated their successes, I yearned to do more. After being a stay-at-home mom for nearly eleven years, I was fortunate to be introduced to the Agency, and now I have found my calling – I am doing something that I love to do. True, I've had to decipher the difference between a GIFT and a ZIFT, but I am passionate about what I do and dedicated to making your experience as rewarding as possible. I am humbled and honored to be a part of your journey.
CHARLENE CLYMORE - Surrogate Coordinator
I have always wanted to help others and was raised to always put others first. I was blessed to find the love of my life and we were fortunate to conceive our 2 children right away. We have raised them with the same values we embrace -- to always do what ever you can to assist others. We do this together every day as a family.
In December of 2002, after finding out a close family member might not be able to have children of her own, I decided to become a Gestational Surrogate. My husband thought it was the perfect situation! I loved being pregnant and we were done having our own children, so I started my journey. And what a journey it has been. There were failures along the way, but I have always felt certain that this was my path.
I met Kathryn in October 2004 and even thought I matched through another agency we kept in touch. It was a rocky journey...and Kathryn was there for me anytime I had questions even though I wasn't working with her. Well, sometimes things happen for a reason and when I was ready to move on, I contacted Kathryn and she matched me with a terrific couple. I gave birth to their baby girl on April 28th, 2006. Kathryn and Lauri asked me to join their agency as a Surrogacy Coordinator -- helping others with their journey both emotionally and logistically -- and I couldn't think of a more perfect way to spend my time. And now I have even more good news - I am currently matched with a new couple and can't wait to be pregnant again in 2008!
DENA STEVENSDENA STEVENS - Surrogate Coordinator
Coming Soon!
GAYLE PRESTIGIACOMO – Surrogate Coordinator
Coming Soon!