Mission

Many of our clients, as well as the doctors, donors, surrogates, and attorneys with whom we have worked have expressed an interest in sharing the benefit of their experience with Creative Family Connections. Here are just a few:

From one of our clients, for whom we found an egg donor:

My husband and I approached Creative Family Connections 2 ½ years into our quest to have a baby. I had been through five IVF cycles in the span of six months. Of those five cycles, just two resulted in egg retrievals; and for each of those retrievals we got only one egg. Just one cycle made it to embryo transfer. All the hope that I felt at the beginning of the process had faded. I was exhausted, frustrated, and in deep emotional pain. I could not remember a time when I had not wanted to be a mother; and, of course, I had always imagined I would get pregnant. What I never imagined was that getting pregnant would be so difficult.

My doctor never gave me false hope. He told me I had "diminished ovarian reserve" (I was 36 years old at the time) and that a donor egg would be the best option for me if I wanted to get pregnant. However, neither my husband, nor I, wanted (or were ready) to give up our chance at a child that was genetically connected to us both. I was sure I wanted to have a child and be pregnant, yet I still hoped that somehow, I would get pregnant on my own.

It therefore took us a full year after we began fertility treatments before we sought the advice and services of Creative Family Connections (CFC). My husband and I had heard Diane Hinson speak months earlier at a Resolve conference on donor issues and we were impressed with CFC's personalized approach. My husband was adamant that we find the perfect donor - someone who would want to be our donor alone. Although that sounded ideal, I worried that it would take too long. Despite my concerns, after blood tests in August 2002 dashed my last hopes of getting pregnant with my own eggs, we signed on with CFC in September 2002 - and by February 2003 I was already pregnant!

One of the incredible aspects of working with CFC was that I immediately felt a huge weight lifted from me. I no longer needed to count the days of my menstrual cycle; I did not need to take my basal body temperature, and I definitely did not miss the daily hormone injections! Suddenly I had hope, rather than dread, about the process. Diane (at CFC) took over chief responsibility for the search, while I kept in regular contact with her. She worried about all the details. This allowed me to be involved in the initial strategy and stay abreast of the search's progress - but I didn't get bogged down in details. And Diane did a great job of not letting me worry too much about whether we'd find that perfect donor. She was always confident that we would.

Sure enough, CFC found us our perfect donor. She responded to an ad that was tailored to our desire to be parents; and she answered in order to help us have a family. She matched our most important criteria perfectly. We could not have asked for more.

I am five months pregnant now and there is no doubt that this is my baby. I am giving this baby life and the best start that I can. I am in control of all the things that are important to a healthy pregnancy (i.e. nutrition, pre-natal care, rest, exercise, etc.) and I am doing my best to protect and nurture this baby. When I feel the baby move I can't help but feel that this is a miracle and that our donor helped us achieve life's greatest gift. Despite all my past anguish and worry, what I think of now when I think of our donor is the amazing gift that she gave us and how I will always be thankful to her for that. CFC, of course, was instrumental in helping us find such a wonderful donor.

Occasionally, I wonder exactly how and when we will tell our baby about his or her origins. I also wonder what color hair the baby will have. But I never wonder if I will love this baby. That part is easy. I already do.

From one of our egg donors:

I had never really considered egg donation. Actually, I probably would have thought you were crazy if you had mentioned the idea to me a year ago. But as fate would have it, I noticed an ad in the paper while looking for a job last fall. Interested, but not taking it too seriously, I responded, asking for more information. In return, I got a letter from Alison and Rob (the couple who needed an egg donor), explaining their difficulties with infertility over the past few years, and their passion to have a family. I could tell they would make wonderful parents and suddenly I wanted to help them so much. And I was thrilled when they chose me as their donor.

Admittedly, it required a time commitment and there were days when I didn't feel as great as others. But it was all definitely worth it! And Diane and Linda (from Creative Family Connections) really helped me. They went with me to all the key appointments. They were with me every step of the way, taking every opportunity to assist me and to encourage me whenever I needed it. I really appreciated their support.

A few weeks after I donated some of my eggs, Diane and Linda invited me to lunch. They told me Alison was pregnant! It was all I could do to hold back the tears. I have never had such a sense of success and completion in my life, knowing that I was able to help these two wonderful people make their dream come true of having a family. That feeling will be a part of me forever. It is simply an indescribable joy.

Lizzie

From Dr. Suheil Muasher, Medical Director of the Muasher Center for Fertility and IVF (formerly with the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine):

Diane Hinson is extremely knowledgeable as a lawyer in all areas of assisted reproduction including IVF, egg and sperm donation, and surrogacy situations. I have been most impressed with her taking an active and caring approach with her clients. She frequently accompanies her patients to the clinic and helps them ask the right questions and explains to them in simple language some of the complicated issues related to the treatment.

Diane is very professional and it is indeed a pleasure for me to work with her. I think she provides her clients with a service and approach that is entirely unique and desirable.

From an Egg Donor Coordinator at one of the large IVF Clinics in the metropolitan DC area:

Creative Family Connections is one of the most efficient agencies I have ever worked with, which makes my job really easy when I am working with an egg donor from CFC. For that, I am grateful. But what's even better is that I really enjoy working with Diane and the team at CFC.

From one of our surrogates:

When I decided to become a surrogate, fate had its way of finding me. One day, I opened the local newspaper and there was an advertisement by Creative Family Connections. I called the number and immediately felt at ease. My family and I had our initial consultation. We liked the fact that Diane and Linda came to our home to meet us, and I knew right away that we had chosen the best agency. They have a way of making a difficult process very painless.

From the beginning, we had a very open, personal, and comfortable relationship with the Creative Family Connections team. Diane and Linda treat everyone like family. They take every case very personally. We then met our potential parents -- and the rest is a "happy ending." I knew I had made the right decision to become a surrogate. And working with Creative Family Connections made my decision even easier. I would highly recommend this firm to anyone.

Lori

From another surrogate:

Working with CFC made the whole surrogacy process so much easier. I knew that I had someone who was able to answer my questions and advocate for me if necessary. The entire staff is very warm and friendly. They are not just there Monday-Friday 9-5, but whenever I needed them. They also made a great match between me and my intended parents; they really took the time to make sure we were compatible. I'm glad that I was lucky enough to find Creative Family Connections.

Lisa

From a surrogate's mother:

From our first conversation (I remember it as if it was yesterday), I knew you all were good people. It has been great speaking with Diane and Linda throughout this process. Diane, you have been really great and informative. I pray that things work out for your other prospective parents and you are able to give every young lady who has the privilege to be a surrogate the same advice, support and confidence with her decision that you gave my daughter. This experience will be very memorable in our lives.

Again, thanks for everything.

Calencia

From clients, for whom we found a surrogate:

If we could describe the perfect attorney to shepherd us through the surrogacy process, Diane is it. As attorneys ourselves, my partner and I had specific and very high expectations for any attorney with whom we would work. Diane did not disappoint! Diane is an outstanding legal scholar. She has a sharp eye for detail in her work product, while maintaining the ever-important broader perspective of the end goal. In addition to excellent legal skills, Diane's role as a counselor has been invaluable. Often the questions you face during the surrogacy process are not purely legal, and having Diane to turn to for advice and often just a reality-check has made all the difference.

Most importantly, in addition to her amazing skills as an attorney and counselor, Diane brings her own experience and compassion as a parent who built her family in a non-traditional manner. She is able to empathize with the stress and difficulty of proceeding through the complex maze of the surrogacy process. She is not only involved in formalizing relationships; she plays an intimate role in making them work.

Diane's partner Linda has been the perfect complement to Diane. Together, the two have provided us everything we could have hoped for out of this process. Together, they found us the most wonderful Gestational Surrogate we could ever imagine. And, true to form, Diane did not see Creative Family Connection's role as ending there. She and Linda then made sure that everything went smoothly with our clinic - something that we came to appreciate is a critical part of the process.

Our surrogate is now five months pregnant with twins -- a boy and girl! We are in frequent contact with Diane, but we also have significant direct contact with our surrogate -- something that was critical for us. As our due date approaches, Diane will step back in to file the court papers necessary to have the surrogate's name removed from the birth certificate. In addition, because we are a gay couple, Diane will file papers in court so that we are both considered full legal parents of our children within weeks of their birth. There are no guarantees, particularly in the area of gay rights. But, we have confidence that, with Creative Family Connections on our side, we have done everything we can to start our family off on the right foot.

Tracy Thorne and Michael Begland

[Editor's Note: Tracy and Michael subsequently changed their last names to Thorne-Begland. Their twins were born in October 2004. You can see photos of them and read about the Pre-birth Declaration of Parentage that Creative Family Connections obtained that declared Tracy and Michael to be the sole legal parents of the twins, and ordered their names (and not the name of their Surrogate) to be on the Birth Certificate.

From Dr. Fady Sharara, Medical Director, Virginia Center for Reproductive Medicine

I have had the pleasure to work with Diane and Linda for some time now. The degree of dedication and support that they provide for their clients is second to none. Every client is treated as if he/she is the only client they have. Their approach is very hands on and their clients need to understand that they take their plight very personally, and the degree of professionalism and dedication is truly remarkable. The staff at creative Family Connections fills a void we have had in the greater DC area when it comes to Third Party legal representation. Throughout the past year, the quality of the donors or surrogates that Diane , Linda and Amy recruit are excellent. It has been an absolute joy to deal with Creative Family Connections. If you are one of their clients, consider yourself in the best hands in the business.

From one of our gay prospective parents, for whom we found both an egg donor and a surrogate:

Creative Family Connections gives real meaning to the terms "gay-friendly" and "client-friendly." They supported and encouraged my partner and me and helped us make good, informed decisions at every step of the journey. The team at CFC knows how to make the incredibly complex issues surrounding gay parenthood simple and manageable.

Our quest to have a child took numerous turns before we discovered CFC. So we are well aware of just how much misinformation is out there about the various methods of building a family and securing the necessary legal protections. It is so important to have well-reasoned, thorough legal agreements with your donor and surrogate and, subsequently, to have the courts recognize your parental rights. The experience CFC brings to the process (which included building their own families through non-traditional means) enabled them to give us the help we needed to "do it right."

CFC encouraged us to be very selective about the donor we used. Indeed, CFC's search for our donor included verification that the extensive physical, mental and background checks were clean. CFC also found us an amazing surrogate whose husband and family became true allies with us on our journey to parenthood. Having such a terrific donor and surrogate did wonders for our peace of mind.

Every birth is a miracle and the process is, by its nature, full of ups and downs. But what we have truly appreciated is that Creative Family Connections has been at our side throughout the process and has always provided us with the full truth, along with their advocacy, wisdom and support -- as friends as well as professionals.

From Dr. Michael Opsahl, former Medical Director of the Genetics & IVF Institute:

Dear Diane,
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for the wonderful relationship that we have developed over the last year. I very much appreciate the interface that our clinic has with you and your staff regarding patients who require gestational surrogacy. Your personal hands-on approach makes an enormous difference for me as a physician to understand the legal aspects of surrogacy so that we function as a team to provide a smooth and successful outcome for our patients and clients.
I want to emphasize how valuable I believe the hands-on approach is to achieving a lasting and successful treatment plan. I do not have to tell you how fragile the interactions and relationships can be with third party surrogacy, not to mention the legal requirements and then the medical aspects. Often, we deal with clients/patients who have never faced the complexity and sometimes frustration of reproductive medicine. On top of that, the medical issues usually begin after a lengthy array of legal searching and negotiation for a suitable surrogate. For you to personally attend the medical consultation and testing for the surrogate goes a long way to ensuring an understanding between the human parties, the medical and the legal staff.
I believe your obvious dedication to your clients and your willingness to help the medical team communicate with the intended parents and the surrogate is the key to the satisfaction that I observe in your clients. I personally have learned an enormous amount about the legal concerns for both intended parents and surrogates. I very much appreciate the educational conference you and your partner provided my colleagues and me. I believe that our clinic improved its processes for dealing with gestational surrogacy through your efforts.
I also need to acknowledge the important service that you provide to the gay community. Gay men who desire a family have very special needs requiring the complex and often costly legal and medical services that we provide. They are lucky to have an advocate in you, who can provide such high quality care.
I salute your professionalism and dedication to your clients. I appreciate the warmth and understanding that you convey to our staff. As a colleague of mine always says, "First seek to understand." You embody that spirit by gently probing to understand the issues, whether there are anxieties involved or just questions of general interest.
Please let all of your staff know how much my colleagues and I appreciate working with Creative Family Connections.

Sincerely,
Michael S. Opsahl, MD
Reproductive Endocrinologist

From one of our egg donors, Suzee, who donated for CFC and, prior to that at a large IVF Clinic:

I am in a unique position because I also previously donated eggs at a large Fertility Center. Both the IVF Clinic and Creative Family Connections have very sweet and caring people that staff them. I always felt like everyone knew who I was. But once I began to work with Diane and her team at Creative Family Connections, I began to see the differences that would make me recommend Creative Family Connections over the IVF Clinic.

After donating eggs with Creative Family Connections, I began to realize that I felt like I was part of an egg factory at the IVF Clinic. In the recovery room this time, I told Diane (yes! She was actually there…she came to be with me!) that the difference could be compared to a Ford car factory that makes thousands of cars a day and the custom hot rod shop that only produces 10 top quality cars a year.

Don't get me wrong….The IVF Clinic was a nice experience and wonderful for some couples. But, I really appreciated the extra time and effort on the part of Diane and her team; it really settled you into a home, where everyone wanted to help you everyday. It was a sweet "hand-holding" experience -- every time you visited or called.

The whole egg donation process just went really smoothly with Creative Family Connections. They saw to that. They watched out for me.

As an Egg Donor, I would do it again in a heartbeat with Diane and Creative Family Connections -- because of their level of care and kindness. It was genuine. They say actions speak louder than words - and I have already signed on again for another donation . . . with Creative Family Connections. The decision was an easy one.

From one of our clients, for whom we found an egg donor and a surrogate:

We certainly have built a "Dream Team" in our endeavor to become parents. If we have not said it enough, thank you, Diane and Linda, for all of the wonderful work that you have done on our behalf.

David Craig

From one of our current clients, during an egg donor search:

How exciting....Another candidate that seems to "have it all." You guys are geniuses!

From another of our clients, for whom we found an egg donor, as she waited for the results of her pregnancy test:

We will let you know how things go on Friday and again THANK YOU for everything. I am so thankful that we chose to go through this process with you rather than a donor egg clinic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy

[Editor's Note:: Amy and her husband found out that Friday that they were pregnant -- our favorite kind of call!]