Manmeet & Harsh

Medical Information:

General Health:

We are both in good health.

Fertility Information:

We have a total of 4 euploid PGT tested embryos. We plan to do another cycle to create more embryos in August. We are using our own eggs.

Fertility Clinic:

We are currently with Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM), British Columbia. However, we would be willing to relocate our embryos to a clinic closer to our Surrogate should that work better for her.

Why are you looking for a Surrogate?

I contracted Polio at the age of 2 months. As a result, I am paralyzed in the right leg, but am able to walk around using forearm crutches. I use a wheelchair for longer distances. I have been largely unperturbed by my disability until 2021, when I began experiencing medical complications as a result of living with Polio. I am currently on medication that stabilizes my health but is unsafe for pregnancy. Therefore, we need a Surrogate to help us start our family.

Tell us about your family & loved ones.

We live in an intergenerational home filled with warmth, laughter, and a steady flow of support. There’s always someone cooking a favorite family recipe in the kitchen, sharing stories over tea, or planning the next get-together. We celebrate birthdays, holidays, and cultural traditions with joy, often gathering around the table for meals that stretch late into the evening. Our extended family and close friends are equally excited about our journey to parenthood. They’ve already imagined reading bedtime stories, joining us for family outings, and being there for all of our child’s milestones.

Would you like to attend appointments with your Surrogate?

Ideally, if the Surrogate resides close to us, we would love to attend all the appointments in person and/or virtually. If she is located geographically far, we would love to attend all the appointments at least virtually, and at least the 12 week scan in person.

What are your thoughts on termination of a pregnancy due to genetic abnormalities or complications related to the pregnancy?

We’re profoundly grateful for the generosity it takes to be a Surrogate, and we want to be clear and respectful about our values. Due to my own medical history, I’ve seen how deeply health conditions can affect quality of life, which is one reason why we’re pursuing surrogacy. In the rare event of serious fetal abnormalities associated with severe suffering or affects quality of life, and/or a situation that puts our Surrogate’s health at risk, we would, in close consultation with our Surrogate and medical team, make the difficult decision to end the pregnancy. We hope to match with someone who feels aligned with this approach and understands that our perspective is shaped by lived experience and compassion for everyone involved.

If the Surrogate becomes pregnant with multiples, how would you feel? How do you feel about the possibility of selective reduction being recommended due to a multiple pregnancy?

We would be thrilled if our Surrogate became pregnant with multiples. While our hope would be to carry all babies to term, we understand that sometimes medical challenges can arise. If selective reduction were ever recommended, we would only consider it if it was necessary to protect the health and well-being of our Surrogate and/or the babies.

Are you vaccinated for Covid-19? Do you have a preference for a Surrogate to have been vaccinated for Covid-19?

Yes, both of us are vaccinated for COVID-19.  We would be open to working with a Surrogate who prefers to take a natural approach to managing her health and wellbeing.

What kind of relationship do you want to have with your Surrogate during the pregnancy?

We hope to build a relationship with our Surrogate based on trust, friendship, and genuine care, where she feels valued every step of the way, during the pregnancy and beyond. We would love to be in touch a few times a week, not just for baby updates, but to check in on how she and her family are doing and offer support however we can. As first-time parents, hearing about our baby’s milestones and her pregnancy experiences would mean the world to us, allowing us to share in this incredible journey through her eyes.

Do you want to be in the delivery room when your child is born?

Yes, we would love to be in the delivery room!

What kind of relationship do you hope to have with your Surrogate after the birth of your child?

After delivery, we would love to keep the special connection we’ve built, sharing photos, milestones, and little updates about our baby’s life. If she’s comfortable, we’d also love to meet in person from time to time to catch up, share memories, and let her see how her incredible gift has shaped our family.

Would you be open to a home birth?

Yes.

Are you open to midwifery care?

Yes, we would be open to midwifery care.

Would you like your Surrogate to provide breastmilk?

We are not sure about this yet. We will go with what the doctor advises as the best practice providing the Surrogate is willing.

What will you tell the child about the Surrogate, and the circumstances of their birth? If your child asks to meet the Surrogate, how will you feel?

We will tell our child from an early age about the amazing woman who helped bring them into our lives. They will know that their Surrogate carried them with love, care, and hope, and that their birth was the result of an incredible act of kindness and generosity. We want them to grow up feeling proud of their story and the special people who made it possible. If our child ever asked to meet their Surrogate, we would be fully supportive, provided she is comfortable as well. We would see it as a beautiful opportunity for our child, and we would approach it with care, respect, and gratitude.

If the transfer is unsuccessful, will you want to try again? If so, how soon after?

Yes, we would try again. We would leave it up to the doctor (pending our Surrogate's wellness) to decide how soon we can try another transfer.

If this surrogacy journey is successful, would you want to complete a sibling journey? What do you envision that looking like? (timeline, same Surrogate etc.)

Yes, we would like to complete a sibling journey. Ideally, we would like to work with the same Surrogate because our hope would be that we would have a good relationship built-in with her at that point. In terms of a timeline, we would want to start the sibling journey a year later to allow enough time for our Surrogate to heal and for us to settle in as first time parents. Even if our first Surrogate doesn't want to do a sibling journey, we would still want to wait a year before starting on a sibling journey.

What are your plans for childcare once the child is born?

We plan to participate directly in childcare ourselves, as well as our baby's grandparents are eager to take on that responsibility to support us.

What does a typical weekend look like for you?

Our weekends often start with a hearty South Asian breakfast and family time with our parents, followed by trips to nearby parks or beaches. We love exploring together, whether it’s a local farmer’s market, hidden gems in our neighborhood, or outdoor adventures like kayaking. Sundays are for catching up on chores (which we try to make fun!) and winding down with board games or our favorite movies.

What are some of your interests/ activities?

I’m an avid reader with a love for science fiction, and thrillers. I also enjoy staying active through wheelchair basketball and sledge hockey. Harsh is a true foodie! He’s happiest when experimenting in the kitchen, flipping through cookbooks, or getting inspired by the latest cooking show. When he’s not cooking, you’ll find him swimming, or playing badminton.

Other fun facts:

We speak three languages fluently and are big hockey fans, cheering for both the Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche. We’ve taken spontaneous road trips, tried pottery just for fun, and keep a “memory jar” of our favorite moments each year. One day, we hope to welcome a dog into our family, a playful companion for our child. Our love for food is endless, with favorites like butter chicken, samosas, curries, pizza, and sweet treats like cookies and ice cream. Our adventures have taken us across the globe with San Francisco, New York, and London holding special places in our hearts.

“Harsh and I met in 2017 on Instagram, initially drawn together by our shared cultural roots, a love for spicy South Asian cuisine, and a desire for travel. What began as a casual acquaintance evolved into a deeper bond over months of conversation, despite the vast distance separating us — he lived in India, and I lived in Canada. Against the odds, our connection flourished into something more profound. Navigating the challenges of a long-distance relationship, particularly while I pursued my Masters in Counselling Psychology at University of British Columbia (UBC), was no easy feat. Yet, Harsh stood by me unwaveringly, even urging me to prioritize my academic pursuits over our relationship when necessary. He became my unwavering support, my best friend, my rock —roles he continues to fulfill to this day. We got married in March of 2020, mere days before the world shut down for the COVID pandemic. When I finally returned to Canada, we had to resume our long-distance relationship a trying experience that left us feeling like we were missing out on the ordinary joys of newlywed life. Yet, when Harsh joined me in Canada in 2021, it felt as though no time had passed at all. Our love and connection remained as vibrant and resilient as ever. Through every twist and turn, our relationship has only strengthened, fueled by our shared values of hard work, responsibility, and an unwavering commitment to our dreams. Now, as we embark on our journey to build a family, we eagerly await the opportunity to embrace a Surrogate into our lives to help us create the family that we both deeply yearn.
Harsh is incredibly sensible and shy when meeting new people, while I am more of an extrovert, more talkative and love getting to meet new people. We try to do a fun date night once a month, and we spend almost every weekend with our immediate family enjoying lots of laughs together and spending quality time with them.”