Welcome...let me catch you up.

Hello Blogland! I want to welcome everyone to join me on my journey to surrogacy in India.  Hopefully, during this journey, I will make friends who have been, going through, or will go through this same path. 

So...a little about me.  My name is Fred.  I am single, gay, 30 years old, and I live in Maryland (DC/Metro region).  I'm not much of a writer but decided that I should blog about this experience.  I have always wanted kids but feared I would never have them being gay. One day, I was watching Youtube videos and somehow came across a news clip from the Today show.  The clip featured a couple who used a surrogate in India to begin their family.I'm going to try and upload the video here:

  For 3 years, I researched, and researched and researched and was excited that I too could follow the same path.  The main purpose of this blog is to allow my journey to be an open book for those who eventually want to take the same path. 

As an update on where I am in the process.  So I looked at 3 main clinics but felt the most comfortable with Dr. Shivani at Surrogacy Centre India (SCI). For those who wish to check out their website, it's http://surrogacycentreindia.com/

I like SCI for many reasons.  They have great success rates, when you email them, they promptly respond with full answers to your questions, they have clear payment schedules, excellent "Client Managers" in your home country who is your right hand (Hi Kim!!!!), and the list goes on and on...

Anyway, back to the update.  So I researched 3 clinics, decided on SCI and contacted them.  I completed my enrollment form and sent it to Kim (my ambassador with SCI).  I have also selected a donor.  SCI sent me many potential donors and I had to select my top 5.  This must be a busy time of year because all of my selected donors were booked except for my 2nd best choice so I decided on her.  She is young, attractive, and seems to be full of life.  From reading other blogs, it looks like I am starting pretty fast.  My donor's scheduled egg collection will be around December 7th, 8th, or 9th.  I need to be in Delhi approx 3 or 4 days prior to egg collection.  [ENTER NERVOUS FEELING HERE].  There's so many things I need to do.  Before I begin, I have to have the following tests:

Semen analysis
-Blood group
-HIV
-HbsA (Hepatitis B)
-VDRL (Syphilis)
-HCV (Hepatitis C

Unfortunately, Maryland residents cannot just go to a lab and asks for these tests.  Direct access testing is illegal.  I contacted my Primary Care Physician and set an appoint for Tuesday, October 16th at 2PM to have these tests done.  (I'm hoping I can have everything done on Tuesday). 

After my semen analysis, I will receive my invoice to make my "Stage one" payment which covers the beginning treatments to the surrogate and donor.

I plan on flying to Delhi either December 1st or 2nd and leaving the night of December 9th.  This way, I am there for the entire egg collection.  Prior to flying into India, you have to get a Visa from the Indian Consulate in your home country.  I have read that in the States, that process is outsourced to a company called Travisa (or something).  I will blog more about that later as I go through the process.  Right now, my mind is racing thinking about everything that needs to be done (Tests...Visa...Flight...Hotel.....oh my). 

I believe this catches you up to where I am in the surrogacy process.  I hope you follow me and enjoy this crazy ride I am about to go on.  Talk to you soon.