Posted: 02/26/20
Gayle Garrett is the HEART of Surrogate Solutions. She followed her passion to help others when she founded the company and has chosen team members who share that passion. When asked about Gayle, all of her employees describe her as “the best boss ever “and share the feeling that they’ve never had a job they enjoyed so much. There is a common expression “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” attributed to Confucius. Unfortunately, few people get to experience this in the reality of the 21st century. Gayle has made it her life’s work to love and encourage others and this is evident in her business. Intended Parents and Surrogates that have used Surrogate Solutions will tell you that they felt cared for because they were. Gayle doesn’t have to encourage her staff to care about their clients because she only chooses people in which caring for others is already ingrained in who they are. In fact, Surrogate Solutions staff have all been surrogates themselves and want to continue to helping. Gayle leads by example and her team feels honored to be able to guide others through their surrogacy journeys.
Gayle’s story started 14 years ago just after the birth of her first child in California. She and her husband were reminiscing about how wonderful the pregnancy had been when her husband joked that she handled it so beautifully she should be a surrogate. That quip caught Gayle off guard and surprisingly resonated within her. Shortly after settling into motherhood, she googled surrogacy agencies, filled out an application, and hoped for the best. When speaking with the representative from the agency, Gayle realized that she wasn’t prepared to answer all the questions. Was her family complete? Would she be able to terminate if something was wrong with the baby and that was the desire of the parents? Was she comfortable carrying twins? Was she ready? She had more to think about than she originally thought and ultimately decided she was not ready for surrogacy and would reevaluate when her family was complete.
Three years later, a move to Texas, and the proud mother of two, Gayle knew their family was complete. She was working full time as a nurse and became acutely aware of how many people she knew that were currently or had previously struggled with infertility. It was time to for her to follow her call to help. She found a surrogacy agency, was accepted into their program, assigned a couple and completed the transfer of their only two embryos into her uterus. Unfortunately, the transfer resulted in a chemical pregnancy and naturally, both Gayle and her Intended Parents were deeply saddened. Gayle’s Intended Mother confided in her how she felt the agency they matched through was extremely sterile and impersonal and as someone that had experienced so much heartbreak up to this point, she had hoped for more support from the agency she had chosen. Gayle couldn’t have agreed more and she knew there were bigger things she was being led to do.
She still wanted to help, but knowing she wouldn’t be able to carry for every couple she met, she followed her heart and founded Surrogate Solutions in July of 2007. She was confident that Intended Parents and surrogates alike deserved more than feeling like a number. Guiding people with empathy and support became Gayle’s mission. She started Surrogate Solutions with a different approach focusing on getting to know each Intended Parent and Surrogate and matching them based on their mutual interests, beliefs, and desires rather than just assigning them to the next person on the list. While she was matching and guiding others on their surrogacy journeys, she was still waiting for her perfect match to come along and she knew immediately when she found them. She had a very special connection with them and her heart was filled with joy knowing she was going to make them parents. Their families became very close and the mother was by Gayle’s side, holding her hand during labor. Gayle describes the moment the parents received their babies as THE BEST moment of her life. To be able to do something so selfless for someone, in giving them the one thing they so longed for but couldn’t have without her. That was the very reason she was compelled to become a surrogate. Gayle and the team at Surrogate Solutions still strive to ensure that all of their surrogates are able to experience that same fulfillment of purpose in their journeys and that everyone is cared for and supported.