Meet Vivek + Sejal

Meet Vivek

About Vivek (In Sejal’s Words)—Vivek is the heart and hero of our family—brilliant, hardworking, and an endless source of light. His determination and resilience inspire everyone around him, and his quick wit and humor fill our home with laughter, even during the most difficult times. Over the past two years, when it’s been hardest for me to smile, he has never stopped lifting me up, reminding me of our strength and hope. No matter how demanding his days at the hospital are, he always rushes home, just to steal a few precious moments with Raina before bedtime. As a father, he is patient, compassionate, and completely devoted, making sure Raina always feels loved, cherished and understood. His unwavering support, boundless optimism, and selfless love make our family stronger every day—we are beyond lucky to have him.

Meet Sejal

About Sejal (In Vivek’s Words)—I have seen Sejal in many roles, and I love every single one of them. As a family member, friend, life partner, wife, and mother to our daughter Raina, she is admirable, one of a kind, and truly incredible.

Her name, Sejal, means “blessed water,” and I feel blessed every day to have her in my life. She is my ethical, moral, and spiritual north star—the person I turn to for wisdom, no matter how tough the situation. Though she is a few years younger than me, she somehow always knows the right thing to say or do. She brings joy to every moment, whether we’re having deep, thought-provoking conversations or simply relaxing on the couch watching something completely mindless and entertaining. She runs the show at home, and thanks to her amazing planning skills, our weekends are always filled with activities the whole family loves.

The way I see Sejal as a parent to our child makes me want to be a better dad.  She is the mom everyone wishes they could have.  Our infertility journey has been tough to say the least, but has shown me how resilient and strong she is (and women can be).  In many ways the journey has forged our bond even tighter.  In quiet moments, I envision the joy of parenting a new baby with Sejal and writing the next chapter of our lives together.

How We Met

We met in NYC through an ancient online dating company called OKCupid! Neither one of us expected to meet our life partner through a website, but here we are! We had our first date at a cocktail bar in Sejal’s neighborhood, and exactly one year later, we were engaged, and a year after that, happily married!

Meet Raina

Raina is 4.5 years old and she is bubbly, funny, and profoundly curious, always eager to learn and explore. Raina loves going to school, solving puzzles, playing board games, and diving into any arts and crafts project she can get her hands on. Her favorite food is “pizza with black olives,” and when asked about her favorite color, she proudly says “rainbow”—or as she likes to call it, “Raina-bow!” Raina often talks about her friend’s younger siblings, and is very kind and nurturing towards them as well as younger cousins in our family. It would bring us so much joy and happiness for her to have the title of “big sister” someday.

Why Surrogacy?

We have been on a challenging infertility journey since 2019. In 2020, our daughter, Raina, was born through IUI without complications, bringing immense joy to our lives. In early 2022, when Raina was about 1.5 years old, we experienced two consecutive and heartbreaking miscarriages, leading us to pursue IVF.

Through three rounds of IVF, we were grateful to create seven genetically normal embryos. However, despite transferring each of these one at a time, we never progressed beyond the six-week mark with any transfer, and several embryos failed to implant altogether. We are grateful to have some experienced and thoughtful doctors.  However, after extensive testing over the past three years, we were left without answers as to why implantation continued to fail. With no remaining embryos, we had to start the IVF process again in early 2025, and we will have completed another two rounds of IVF by the end of March 2025. 

This journey has taken a significant emotional toll on our family and physical toll on Sejal’s body, so we have decided to move forward with a surrogate — someone who can hopefully help us complete our family with God's blessings. More than anything, we want Raina to have a sibling, as both of us share deep bonds with our own siblings and we cherish the value of family.

We are profoundly grateful to anyone considering helping a family through surrogacy, whether for us or for another set of intended parents. We can think of no greater act of kindness and selflessness, and we deeply appreciate the generosity of those willing to make such a meaningful difference in another family’s life.

Fun Facts 

Vivek was a finalist in the Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship when he was in 7th and 8th grade! Sejal is a New Years Baby!

Occupations: 

Vivek is a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythm disorders, and he serves patients in our community throughout Marin County and Sonoma. Sejal is currently a stay-at-home mom as she took a pause on her career to focus on expanding our family (she previously worked in strategy roles for online commerce at well-known retail brands).

Favorite Team: 

Baltimore Ravens

Clinic you are using: 

University of California San Francisco, Center for Reproductive Health