Meet Greg + Melissa
Our Story
Our days are filled with the wonderful chaos of family life, balancing work and our son's world of activities. We're fortunate to both work from home most days, which lets us be present for the small moments - impromptu lunch breaks together, helping with homework, or just being there when our son wants to share his latest discovery (or more accurately: obsession). Our free time revolves around his karate classes, birthday parties with friends, our church community, family, and football. These simple routines, while hectic at times, have become the treasured rhythms of our life together.
While our calendar might look busy, we've found joy in these everyday moments. Whether it's cheering at karate belt tests, gathering with friends, or simply having family dinner together, these are the times that make our house a home. We’re excited about the prospect of expanding our little family and adding even more chaos, and love, to our home.
Meet Greg
About Greg (In Melissa’s words)—Watching Greg as a father makes me fall deeper in love with him every single day. His love for Callum and me is fierce and unwavering—second only to his love for God. Greg’s family is his entire world. He is deeply involved in every aspect of Callum’s life, always present, always patient. He loves getting his hands dirty, whether it’s with projects around the house, “teaching” Callum to play guitar, cooking meals, or helping Callum with his arts and crafts. There is NOTHING he wouldn’t do for our family.
One of the things I admire most about Greg is his calm and steady nature as a teacher and role model to Callum. He has this amazing ability to explain things with such patience, making even the toughest moments seem easy; I pray every day that more of that rubs off on me! He leads by example, showing Callum what it means to be a good, loving, and responsible person. I cannot express how excited I am to see him expand on these qualities even further in his role as a daddy of two.
We have built a life centered around God, family, love, mutual respect, and unwavering support for each other. I am beyond grateful to have Greg as Callum’s father, and I know he will continue to be the dedicated and loving dad that he is to our precious miracle when he/she arrives.
Thank you again for your generosity in helping us grow our family. We can’t wait to get to know you and to build a beautiful relationship—we will forever be so very grateful to you!
Meet Melissa
About Melissa (In Greg’s words)— Everyone who meets Melissa can’t help but fall in love with her.
Her heart, her warmth, and her intelligence shine from the very first conversation with her. What most people don’t immediately see, though, is her incredible strength. Over the past five years, she has faced challenges that would test anyone’s limits, yet she carries herself with such grace and positivity that you’d never guess she’s been through so much. She never lets hardships harden her heart; instead, they deepen her compassion and resolve.
As a mother, Melissa brings joy and wonder to every moment with our son. She has a way of turning the ordinary into something magical, whether she’s voicing silly characters to make mornings fun, helping him solve puzzles with endless patience, or sharing a tender bedtime story.
No matter what she’s facing, Melissa always puts others first. Even during her hospitalization with a bacterial infection of the heart — requiring open-heart surgery — her biggest concern wasn’t her health but how she could be there for our newborn son. Her courage and selflessness inspire me daily.
Melissa has so much love to give and dreams of expanding our family. We feel immense gratitude for the possibility of connecting with someone who might help us complete that dream.
How We Met:
It wasn’t very romantic – we met at a bar in downtown Raleigh, both with groups of friends. When I made a bad joke and Melissa didn’t recoil in horror, I knew there was potential there!
After a few dates, we were already completing each other’s sentences – and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
Why Surrogacy?
Our journey into parenthood has not been an easy one. Shortly after getting married, we learned that IVF would be the only possible way we could have children; we immediately dove in head-first with as much courage and patience as we could muster. Fortunately, we were able to create a few precious embryos – one of which became our son, Callum.
Shortly after Callum was born in 2020, Melissa began experiencing unusual and seemingly unrelated symptoms. Doctors initially struggled to determine what was wrong, as the typical bodily changes following pregnancy and delivery can often mask other health issues. When Melissa noticed her visual field had contracted, we immediately went to the ER and learned she had suffered numerous minor strokes, due to an undiagnosed infection of the heart.
While weeks of intensive antibiotic treatment and a heart valve replacement successfully cured the infection, Melissa now requires lifelong blood thinners to keep her mechanical heart valve functioning properly. This medication, while essential for her health, means she is unable to safely carry another pregnancy.
Though our path to growing our family looks different than we initially imagined, our dream of giving Callum a sibling remains strong, and we would be deeply grateful to connect with someone who could help make this possible.
Children
Our son, Callum, is 4 years old and amazes us every day with his intelligence, humor, wit, and outlook on the world. People ask us what he likes, and we usually respond with “everything.” He’s the happiest kid in the world and we can’t wait for him to be a big brother.
Fun Facts
Occupations: Melissa is a Research Analyst for the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University, where she has been for over 15 years. Greg was a Lecturer at NC State in English for more than a decade before relocating to upstate SC, where he currently works as a Lecturer in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Clemson University (his alma mater – Go Tigers!).
Favorite Team: Clemson, UNC (Melissa’s alma mater), NC State, Carolina Panthers (unfortunately)
Clinic you are using: Piedmont Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Greenville