Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Wanczak.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 2015, after a picture perfect pregnancy, everything that could go wrong in my delivery with my daughter did. I was in labor for 82.5 hours, sent home from the hospital twice, and after an indicated cesarean, was septic within 12 hours. 10 days later, I was taken back for exploratory surgery and woke up the next morning in the SICU where I was informed that I had had a radical hysterectomy and then shortly thereafter, an upper extremity DVT in my left arm. In total I spent 3.5 weeks in the hospital and months recovering. It was an incredible challenge – healing and recovering from significant illness while caring for a newborn. Amidst this as well, my husband and I were devastated in the loss of my fertility as we had always wanted multiple children.
After much prayer, we started looking into what would be required to pursue adoption but also researched surrogacy. Ultimately, surrogacy was how we chose to grow our family and I went through an IVF egg retrieval when my daughter was 9 months old. I met the angel of a woman that became our gestational carrier in 2017 and we transferred an embryo in March of 2018. That pregnancy was a full time job as it was an independent surrogacy journey without the assistance of an agency. I was grateful to be able to attend all appointments and my husband and I were in the delivery room when our son was born.
Unlike what many people see on television, surrogacy is a complicated process with many steps before you are able to pursue the process. It requires legal, medical and psychological clearances, many appointments, and lots of paperwork and that is even before a surrogate is experiencing the pregnancy.
After going through this experience, I became the person that people would suggest their friends talk to when they were experiencing or considering something similar. I realized that sharing my expertise based on my personal story as an intended parent was something that there was not anyone else providing and that sharing support and hope was truly my calling and way of healing for me as well. Surrogacy Agencies are established to be in support of surrogates but until I established The Fertility Organizer, there wasn’t really anyone specifically there for intended parents to help them navigate this complex process. Thus, the Fertility Organizer was born – “providing expertise, organization, resilience planning and compassionate support for infertility and surrogacy journeys.”
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has most definitely not been a smooth or easy road to starting The Fertility Organizer. This is a such an incredibly niche field that has the usual entrepreneurial hurdles as well as its own unique challenges. I am so grateful for each and every one of my clients and it has definitely been a process to make sure that I am properly marketing and networking my services as The Fertility Organizer to people who are looking for this kind of specific support. The advantage to these obstacles is that I am truly able to fit my services to be truly tailored to the individual needs of my clients.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Fertility Organizer?
I am the founder of The Fertility Organizer. I provide “expertise, organization, resilience planning and compassionate support for infertility and surrogacy journeys” primarily to intended parents but also to other people going through infertility. I am known for my compassion, personal experience, and professionalism. As far as I know, I am really the only person that has established an organization specifically for the intended parent-side of the surrogacy journey – agencies are primarily there to support the surrogate and after having navigated my own independent surrogacy journey, I understand all that is involved in this process and the need to have someone there to truly support just the intended parent(s) as they navigate all of the complexities that this process creates..
I am most proud brand-wise that I have become the go-to person for intended parents seeking someone to walk with them through their surrogacy or infertility journey and am able to offer bespoke services to fit their individual needs, whether that is just someone to help in the beginning, all the way to being there for every step of the way. I have the privilege to walk alongside clients as they are navigating some of the most tender times in their lives and it is truly such a gift to get to know and support them through infertility and surrogacy.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My most treasured childhood memory are holidays with my family. My family was very close knit and we had the privilege to all live in the same town (Houston, TX) so holidays involved everyone from both my mom’s and dad’s sides coming together to celebrate at my childhood home. There was always so much laughter and love. Family is everything to me and it is truly such a privilege to work with people as they pursue their dreams of building their own families.
Pricing:
- I offer individualized pricing for my services depending on my client’s needs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Thefertilityorganizer.com
- Instagram: @thefertilityorganizer
