Meet Mark + Hannah
Our Story
We are a loving couple of 13 years living in the Bay area in California. We find our truest happiness in the small things together. We love everything from cooking together after a trip to the farmer's market to getting lost on a hike in the redwoods. Our coziest moments are spent at home, cuddled up with our cats, Mochi and Mink. But we also share a spirit of adventure and love nothing more than exploring the world outside of our bubble, hand-in-hand.
Meet Mark
About Mark (In Hannah’s words)— I’ve truly never met anyone with a heart as light and pure as Mark's. He is my absolute rock, my steady ground in everything. He gives me a sense of comfort and a depth of love that I cherish every single day. My world is just infinitely brighter and more joyful with him in it.
What I adore most is his beautiful balance - he has this incredibly smart, logical mind, but he pairs it with a playful, fun-loving spirit that makes every moment together special.
Meet Hannah
About Hannah (In Mark’s words)— Hannah is an amazing partner. She takes care of all her friends and especially me. I know she'll be a great mom, showering the child with love and home-cooked meals. While I hope the child inherits some of my physical traits like my height and athletic ability, I hope everything else is a copy of Hannah.
How We Met:
Our story began in the hallways of Google, where Hannah was a designer and Mark was an engineer. We were in different worlds, but he found the most incredibly sweet way to bridge the gap. He noticed my love for the green gummy bears—a tiny detail—and turned it into a daily ritual.
Every morning, he’d meticulously pick them out just for me and leave a little pile on my desk. It wasn't a grand gesture, but it was something so much more: a quiet, consistent act of pure thoughtfulness. That's how Mark, one green gummy bear at a time, won my heart completely.
Why Surrogacy?
Because of a lifelong struggle with PCOS and irregular cycles, Hannah always feared that becoming a mother would be difficult. However, after four attempts at IVF, we miraculously created two precious embryos. We are turning to surrogacy to give these embryos the absolute best chance at life. Between Hannah’s age (43) and her struggles with high blood pressure and panic attacks, we feel that carrying the pregnancy ourselves is too great a risk. We are seeking a surrogate to help us bridge this final gap to parenthood safely.
Fun Facts
Mark and Hannah are complete opposites. Mark is the early bird, while Hannah is the night owl. Mark leads with his head (logical), and Hannah leads with her heart (passionate). Mark lives to play sports, and Hannah... well, she tolerates them! Mark loves to eat, and Hannah loves to feed him. Despite these differences, we fill each other's gaps perfectly, creating a balance that keeps our life interesting and steady.
Occupation: Hannah is a Visual Designer who creates the beauty, and Mark is a Software Engineer who brings the beauty to life.
Favorite Team: Can we say, “Hannah and Mark”?
Otherwise, we actually have one thing in common. Pickleball!
Clinic you are using: UCSF