Wandee (44) and Troy (41) met at Troy’s brother’s wedding and became friends, but sparks did not fly until over a year later when we went on a road trip out East together. This started our love of travel together. After 7 years into our relationship Troy surprised Wandee with a proposal while we were living abroad in Taiwan for a few months. We have now been together for over 20 years!
Over the years, we have learned that we are both caring, open-minded, and easy-going people who love to help those around us. Often times, we find that we are thinking the exact same thing at the exact same time even though we have pretty different personalities. They say that couples grow to look like each other but we have grown to think like each other? 🙂
Wandee:
I grew up in a suburb of Ottawa with an older adopted brother, younger sister and younger brother. My parents instilled good manners and taught me to be considerate towards others. They are immigrants from Taiwan so I had a mixed upbringing of Taiwanese family traditions and Canadian culture. I truly value the unique situation I was in, which has made me an open-minded and empathetic individual. I was fortunate enough to have supportive parents who allowed me to explore my many interests in music, sports, and art as I was growing up!
Troy:
I grew up in a tiny town in southwestern Ontario with an older brother and a younger adopted sister. We spent a lot of time playing sports, and enjoying all four seasons outdoors. My dad ran a mechanic shop, and from a very young age I loved to help out there with small jobs and cleanup. I really enjoyed the move to Toronto, with so many of our friends here and endless new things to try!
We had been trying to grow our family since 2016 and went through multiple rounds of IUI and IVF. Wandee’s last IVF transfer resulted in twins, however the pregnancy was short-lived and she developed severe Asherman’s syndrome as a result of the failed pregnancy. Our doctor recommended surrogacy to help us fulfill our dreams to become parents since Wandee could no longer carry a child on her own.
Our dream came true in January 2023 when our first surrogate gave birth to our son! We became true friends with her during our journey together. It was a blessing for our family, and was successful on our first try. We now have 1 AA PGS-tested embryo left and hope to have a wonderful relationship and experience with an amazing woman who is willing to help us give our son a sibling.
We own a home in a family-friendly neighbourhood in Toronto, close to a dog-friendly park with lots of kids of all ages. We have a fenced-in backyard which is great for our dog and our 1 year old son. Our basement used to be an adult space where we watched movies and exercised in our home gym, and has now become baby-proofed and filled with toys! We love our community and have friends close-by, so we plan to raise our children here.
We have a 6 year old Labradoodle with the kindest heart. He immediately got along with our son and continues to let him walk all over him. 🙂 We love the outdoors, hiking and traveling to new places. Wandee also enjoys watching movies, playing board games, and doing puzzles. Troy really enjoys sports and telling dad jokes. Most recently, we just enjoy the everyday little things that bring joy to our son, and watching him learn and grow. <3
Wandee works in Tech. Troy works in Biotech. We both mostly work from home, to our dog’s delight!
We have gone through the preparation for IVF and transfer process personally and also completed a full journey with a surrogate, so we fully understand the process and associated costs. We are prepared to cover all of her costs and expenses as it relates to her pregnancy. We would also like to be there to support her with communication, appointments, in-person meet ups (depending on geography and her wishes) and be with her every step of the way!
We are very open to different types of relationships with the surrogate mother. The ultimate goal is to have a healthy baby! We would want our relationship to feel natural to both of us. If she would like us to be more closely involved, we will definitely be happy to do so. But if she prefers a bit more privacy, we will also respect her wishes. Hopefully we keep in touch regularly to share pictures and stories of the little one. She is giving us a priceless gift and we will always be grateful to her.