The first contact were through a social internet site for LGBTQ+ in Sweden. At that time, we lived in different parts of the country, Anders were living in the north of Sweden and Mikael in the southern part of Sweden. We chatted and talked for months before we decided to meet in person. Since the day we met in real life we were a couple and have never broken up. After about one year and a half of having a long distance relationship, we took the step of moving in together in the south of Sweden in one of the smallest apartments in the historic city of Lund.

I, Mikael, was born in an ordinary working class family in the southern town of Sweden, Trelleborg, which is called “town of the palm trees”, which is weird because there is no natural growing of palm trees in Sweden. It´s too cold. It was me and my older brother and our mum and dad. The interests in our family was nature, music and sports so my parents did a lot of time to figure out the logistics of our leisure activities. Since Trelleborg is a small town I could walk to school and was enjoying elementary school. My mum worked part time until I was twelve so she was already at home when I got home. Me and my brother often spend our summer vacation at our grand parents in the countryside when our parents was working. My parents grew up in the country side and with animals and love pets so we always had cats, rabbits, birds and aquarium with fishes at our home.

I, Anders, was born in the capital of Sweden, Stockholm but as a young child, we moved to the city of Luleå which is not that far from the Arctic Circle. My mum and dad got divorced a couple of years later so me and my younger brother was allowed to live with each parent every other week. In general I had a nice upbringing. My brother and I got to spend a lot of time with our grandparents in Overkalix during the holidays. Overkalix is one of the smallest towns in Sweden with the nature just around the corner. My elementary school days were good and then I started studying the Hotel and Restaurant Management program at the high school in Luleå. Then I met Mikael. After moving down to Lund, I decided that I didn’t want to work in the hotel and restaurant industry and trained as a manager in the tourism and travel industry. After a few years I decided that it wasn’t the job for me either, so I trained to become a medical secretary. Now I’ve advanced to working as an operations coordinator. These days, unfortunately, I don’t have much contact with my father and brother. I still have my mother and grandmother in Luleå and Overkalix. We often talk to each other, both about small and big things in life.

After living together for several years and seeing our friends start their families, we began to believe it could be possible for us too. Domestic adoption is very rare, and surrogacy is not legal in Sweden. We initially explored surrogacy options in the U.S., but we quickly realized it wasn’t the right choice for us, as the process there is largely commercial. Instead, we discovered that altruistic surrogacy is legal, which felt much more in line with our values, as it is based on a voluntary and compassionate choice. We reached out to Surrogacy Canada Online to learn about the process and where to begin. After some time, we were connected with our IVF clinic, Repromed (now Generation Fertility) in Toronto. In June last year, we traveled to Canada, and now, four embryos are safely frozen at the clinic.

We have lived in a house in Harlösa (Rabbitloose), a small village just outside Lund, for almost 10 years now. Our home has a large garden where we grow fruits and vegetables and we love spending time outdoors during the summer. Harlösa is a charming place with beautiful countryside. We also have a school and a kindergarten here. We also share our home with our wonderful little cat, who is almost 16 years old now. Harlösa is surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes, with open fields, lush meadows, and a mix of forests and lakes. The town lies on the edge of the impressive Vomb Basin, an area known for its vast plains and grazing lands. Nearby, you’ll find Lake Vomb, one of the largest lakes in Skåne, perfect for peaceful walks, birdwatching, and enjoying nature. Just southeast of Harlösa stretches Revingehed, a large heathland that is an important site for biodiversity, home to rare plants and wildlife.

I, Mikael, am a pediatric dietitian working at the university hospital in Lund with children that have cancer and severe lung diseases like cystic fibrosis. I just finished my masters thesis and hopefully I will soon become a PhD student in pediatric cancer rehabilitation. I love the nature and in my spare time I love to run orienteering and I even tried some orienteering when we were in Toronto last year. I have played the clarinet since I was ten years old and I am playing in a wind band. I read a lot of novels when I want to just relax.

I, Anders, am a surgery coordinator in pediatric heart surgery at the same hospital as Mikael. We do surgery on children all the way from the newborn period to young adults, with various complex heart defects. Last year I also took a course at Lund University in medical law to expand my knowledge. When I’m not working, I enjoy both baking and cooking. I work out at the gym at least once a week as you have to stay in shape. I also appreciate long sauna baths and the occasional cold dip in the sea after the sauna. A common interest that both Mikael and I have is plants and gardening but also to travel to various destinations around the world.

All costs and expenses that are related to the pregnancy and surrogacy journey will of course be covered by us. We also hope to make an authentic connection with you and if you would like, also with your family. We understand that it is a big decision to go through a pregnancy with someone else’s child, but we hope that you will, in some way, want to be a part of the child’s life, even after the birth, as we want the child to know its origins. Perhaps you could visit us sometime to witness in person what a miracle you have given us.

We both think it’s important that we get a chance to get to know you as much as possible because since it is a big step to help us become parents. We want to be involved as much as possible during the pregnancy. This can be through chat, phone calls and video calls, for example during visits to maternity care, etc. When the time comes for the birth, we will of course be there to witness the miracle of our child being born.

We hope that you want to connect with us and considering to be our surrogate! Hopefully we can meet you soon and begin this incredible adventure together