To Potential Embryo Donors,

First, thank you for even taking the time to read my letter and consider this incredible gift. I cannot begin to express the amount of admiration I have for people willing to help others build their families in such a selfless and meaningful way. I know this decision comes from a place of immense love, and I want you to know how deeply I respect that.

I am an almost 30-year-old nurse pursuing motherhood as a single woman. While I always imagined I might someday marry and build a family traditionally, life has taught me that there is never a perfect timeline for these things. I realized that I do not want to spend years waiting and hoping for the right man to come along before becoming a mother. More than anything, I know in my heart that I am ready to be a parent now. At this point in my life, being a mother is more important to me than being a wife, and I feel incredibly confident in my ability to provide a loving, stable, and fulfilling life for a child. Nursing is not just my career — it is who I am at my core. I have worked at the same hospital for seven years and currently serve as a charge nurse. I am also involved in my unit council and am the chair of a new night shift nursing council. My primary specialty is pediatrics, although I also care for adult medical-surgical patients. Caring for others has always come naturally to me, and I truly pour my heart into the people around me — whether they are family, friends, patients, or complete strangers.

If I had to describe myself, I would say I am an old soul. I love older music, especially from the 1950s, and I’ve always found joy in the simple, meaningful things in life. In many ways, I am just like my grandmother, who passed away two years ago. I had the honor of caring for her every single day for about five years as she battled a neurodegenerative disease. Walking beside her through that chapter of life changed me profoundly. It taught me patience, compassion, sacrifice, and unconditional love. More than anything, it shaped the kind of mother I hope to become someday.

Outside of work, I love traveling — especially on cruises — and my happy place is absolutely the beach. I also love baseball, especially the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley Field is another favorite place to visit, and my love for the Cubs and the game itself came from my grandfather, who has been a loyal Cubs fan for over 80 years.

In my free time, I enjoy crafting, home renovation projects, baking, spending time with family and friends, and loving on my many rescue animals. I purchased my own home by myself at just 24 years old, something that I am incredibly proud of. I have worked hard to make it a warm, welcoming, and beautiful place, and I truly love turning it into a home filled with comfort, personality, and love. I enjoy taking on projects and putting care into every detail to keep it looking its very best. I hope one day it will be a place where my child feels safe, happy, and deeply loved.

I have four rescue cats who live with me and two rescue dogs who live with my parents. Because I work long 12-hour nursing shifts, it is easier for my dogs to stay with my parents where they have constant company and room to run. Over the years, I have also opened my home to many foster kittens, nursing them back to health, bottle feeding and caring for them when needed, and ultimately helping them find loving forever homes. Animals have always been a huge part of my life, and rescuing and caring for them reflects something very important to me: every life deserves love, safety, compassion, and a place to belong.

One of the greatest blessings in my life is my support system. I am surrounded by incredible family members, friends, and coworkers who are wholeheartedly invested in my journey to motherhood. My future child will grow up deeply loved, not just by me, but by an entire village of people who already cannot wait to meet them. I have wonderful parents and grandparents who are excited to welcome a little one into the family. I am also blessed with “bonus parents” who lovingly decided that my future child would be nicknamed “Little Jimmy.” Somehow the name stuck, and now everyone in my life affectionately refers to my future baby as Little Jimmy. It has become such a sweet symbol of the excitement and love surrounding this child already.

My journey to becoming a mother has not been easy. After multiple failed IUIs using donor sperm, I moved forward with IVF full of hope. My IVF cycle itself went beautifully, and I was fortunate to create seven embryos. I held onto so much hope while waiting for the PGT-A results, but that hope quickly turned into heartbreak when I learned that all seven embryos were aneuploid. Further testing revealed that I have a chromosome translocation/rearrangement disorder that none of us knew about beforehand.

It was devastating news. But despite the grief and disappointment, one thing never changed: my desire to become a mother.

Embryo adoption feels like a way to continue the journey I began — a chance to still experience pregnancy, to bond with my child from the very beginning, and to become the mother I have dreamed of being for so long. While I may not be able to have a biological child, I know with my whole heart that biology is only one small part of what makes a family. Love, commitment, sacrifice, and showing up every single day are what truly matter. Those are things I can promise wholeheartedly.

I genuinely feel that I was born to be a mother. If chosen, your embryos would be brought into a home full of laughter, stability, compassion, animals, family traditions, beach vacations, bedtime stories, music from another era, and endless love. My child will always know how deeply wanted they were and how extraordinary the people were who helped bring them into my life.

Thank you for considering me to be the parent of your embryos. I know this is not a small decision, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity should you choose me. No matter what, I appreciate your courage, your kindness, and the love that brought you to this point.

With heartfelt gratitude, 

A hopeful recipient