Why we do what we do

My hope is that Stoorky helps you or someone you care about on their own journey.

I'm Eva, and I founded Stoorky after experiencing the surrogacy journey myself as an intended parent.

When medical circumstances meant I needed a surrogate to carry my daughter Anika, I discovered a world that felt unnecessarily complex and isolating. After five years of research, planning, international travel, Covid disruptions, failed attempts, and overwhelming expenses, Anika was finally born in California, USA.

The experience revealed gaps I hadn't expected. Critical information was scattered and difficult to navigate. Simple logistics became surreal – like shipping blood and urine samples via FedEx to the States. Or coordinating with a Russian shipping company to have someone hand-carry our embryos on a commercial flight.

Then came the unexpected emotional landmines. An email arrived without warning, revealing the genders of our embryos, something I never wanted to know before those embryos become babies! A friend described how through standard genetic testing he uncovered that he carries the breast cancer gene. Suddenly, he faced an impossible and surprising decision: whether to share this information with his family, including his brother who has two young daughters.

These logistical challenges paled beside the profound experience of asking a stranger to carry our child. We met our surrogate through video calls, building trust across screens. When the miscarriage happened, we grieved together but apart – I felt the emotional devastation while she experienced the physical loss. Without being there in person, the hospital visits and bodily changes felt almost abstract.

Our surrogate turned out to be exceptional – open-hearted, kind, and genuinely invested in seeing Anika loved. She transformed our lives by bringing endless joy and wonder into them. Her generosity made our family possible.

These experiences taught me that while nothing can fully prepare you for surrogacy's complexities, we can do better. People deserve clearer, step by step, accessible resources during their research phase.

More importantly, there has to be an easier, more affordable way to build families here in Australia, within our own community. A system that protects everyone involved, helps create families, and fulfils someone's dream of giving back – of helping others discover that endless joy.

Stoorky is the resource I wish I’d had. An easy, practical guide to surrogacy, frameworks for costs and expenses, legal structures by state, and the questions I needed to ask myself and my surrogate all in one place. I hope it helps you, wherever you are in the process.