Meet AJ + Sama
Our Story
AJ and Sama met while working together at a call center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in summer 2007. We first encountered each other when our names were posted on a birthday chart in the break room, and we found out we had the same birthday! We often competed to see who would hit higher sales each week.
When Sama moved away to Atlanta for college in 2008, we exchanged numbers. The first time AJ called, Sama thought it was someone playing on her phone because she did not know anyone named "AJ", she only knew him by Amos. The call was brief with AJ wishing Sama well in school and to keep in touch. Neither thought anything of it. We hung out at a local park when Sama came home for summer break. That one encounter turned into a routine over the next several years whenever Sama would come home for school breaks and phone calls here and there. Over the years, a friendship blossomed based on a mutual love for reading, visiting the library, discussing current events, watching football and traveling. As the years progressed, our friendship became stronger.
In 2015, after years of talking and being there to support each other through various life moments, we decided to take a chance on love and see what could be on the other side of our friendship. In order to do that, AJ moved to Atlanta and the pair officially started dating. After a first year of challenges growing from a friendship to a relationship, things started to naturally click. After several years of dating, we got engaged on New Year's Eve 2021. Within days of our engagement, Sama had picked our wedding date, April 3, 2021. 4.3.2.1... Our Countdown to Forever. We have shared so many smiles and special moments of love and joy during our marriage. We look forward to adding to our love story by expanding our family. Family is extremely important to us. We travel to Pittsburgh, Alabama and North Carolina quite frequently to visit our relatives.
Meet AJ
About AJ (In Sama’s words)— AJ is such a caring and compassionate person. He's so thoughtful and generous. AJ goes above and beyond to ensure I am happy. His love and value of friendships and family is so admirable. He empowers me to take on challenges and not to be afraid to truly chase my dreams. He is such a hard worker and provider. He loves sports, reading and learning new things. His love of random trivia facts is so cute. Watching AJ with children is so adorable. They naturally gravitate to him, and he is so amazing and thoughtful when engaging with them. AJ loves is truly special. He is literally the beat to my perfect love song and I know he will be a wonderful father.
Meet Sama
About Sama (In AJ’s words)— Sama is the most caring, kind and selfless person that I know. She doesn't hesitate to help out family, friends or even a stranger on the street. She has a smile that lights up every room she enters. Sama is a huge sports fan, and she loves the Pittsburgh Steelers and those are just a few of the reasons why I fell in love with her and asked her to be my wife. Lucky for me, she said yes. We were married in April 2021 and since that time she has been the most wonderful wife to me and I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend the rest of my life with. Sama is the Executive Director of a child development center in Atlanta where she demonstrates her passion for helping and educating young children. Despite the emotional toll of her experiences with stillbirths, she remains determined to become a mother. The decision to seek surrogacy shows our commitment to expanding our family and providing a loving home for a child. Given Sama’s nurturing nature and strong support system, she is poised to be an excellent mother.
Why Surrogacy?
We have always wanted to expand our family. Our first baby was stillborn the day of our scheduled delivery in October 2021. We were informed our angel was stillborn during the prep for delivery. We experienced yet another loss a few days before a scheduled delivery for our second baby in April 2023. Our angel was delivered stillborn the next day. After delivery, Sama experienced a significant amount of blood loss and had to have four unit blood transfusions. After much consideration, we know it is not best physically or mentally to pursue pregnancy again. Thankfully, our love for each other and support system has allowed us to be strong and continue on. We still have a great desire to expand our family and are grateful for the opportunity to still pursue the journey of parenthood by way of a gestational surrogate. We know we would be forever grateful for someone to be so kind and give us the opportunity to complete our family. This baby will be so loved. We plan to raise them to be a kind and compassionate person who is not afraid to chase their dreams. While we have endured some pain and tragedy during our journey to parenthood, our love and support for each other has kept us inspired and motivated.
Fun Facts
Sama has lived in South Korea and Ghana. We share the same birthday! We have an adorable 10-year-old basset hound named Gigi. We love being active, playing sports and cheering very loudly for the Pittsburgh Steeelers!
Occupations: Sama is an Executive Director at a child development center and preschool in midtown Atlanta. AJ is a Customer Relations Specialist at one of America's largest wholesale facilities located in downtown Atlanta.
Favorite Team: Pittsburgh Steelers and Golden State Warriors
Clinic you are using: The Atlanta Center for Reproductive Medicine