It’s Been a Minute…
And It Ends Here…
As a first entry to reactivating our Blog, what better blog post than to talk about the recent changes here at Little Miracles and CSO!
Recently, about 4 months ago, I was the subject of a well-thought-out plan of attack. I know, I know – how dramatic ….
Sadly, it is the truth.
I have been in this industry the absolute longest of anyone. I am the first ‘child’ of a Surrogate in Canada and as such, have been in this Industry for almost 40 years (yikes.. How about that for aging myself!?).
Over the years, I’ve seen agencies come and go. I’ve seen Counselors come and go. And I’ve seen Lawyers come and go. Sadly, some of the professionals in this industry seem to have forgotten that we have all grown up and left High School.
One lawyer in particular is one that no one stands up to. They are known for their antics, drama and fight-picking. I have always been mostly silent on Social Media and stayed out of any of the drama. As my mom always said “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all”…. Since I have followed in her footsteps, and taken on the great Honour of continuing her Life’s legacy, I tend to channel her wise words when things pop-off.
Last May, I underwent an Emergency Surgery that left me unable to feel my legs, let alone be able to walk. The surgery removed massive clots that had formed and were in my Aorta. This also cut off all circulation below the waist, including shutting off blood flow to my Kidney’s, causing them to fail.
I was finally released from the Hospital 3+ months post Surgery.
Suffice to say, I’m lucky to be alive, and have spent a significant amount of time learning to walk again.
That doesn’t or didn’t seem to matter to many.
The above-mentioned lawyer decided I wasn’t paying people fast enough. They were not thrilled that some cycles COULD be delayed, they were not but COULD be. Some of our Surrogates did receive some late payments. This has been my detriment and will forever be something I’ll look back on with disgust.
The above-mentioned lawyer reached out to other lawyers in the industry and clinics. They threatened a legal investigation, threatened criminal charges, all without a shred of evidence. Employees were terrified. Some of them quit, but 3 stayed and the 4 of us buckled down to help and support the clients that stayed with us.
This all came at a time when I was in hospital, on HEAVY pain meds for Compartment Syndrome (have you even had your legs cut open to relieve the pressure? (0 stars, wouldn’t recommend!)
To say the next 3 months were a nightmare would be an understatement… The never-ending posting about me/CSO on Social Media was ridiculous and caused so much stress to not only our Clients continuing on, but to my Loyal Staff that remained. I have been accused of a number of things, all of which are false and meant to discredit me and CSO. It’s almost 5 months later and NOTHING has happened.
The accusations can all be countered with documentation. If you have any questions about any of these posts, please reach out and I will clarify, however not in a public forum – as I said – this ends here.
As this is my life, and I have never known anything different than Helping Create Families and Helping Make Miracles: This isn’t about ‘Business’. This isn’t about the Next Agency Fee or the next Match. These are people’s LIVES! This is people wanting to trust the Longest Acting Agency in Canada and feel like they can’t.
I’ve learned my lesson – the way we were structured relied heavily on me. I’ve restructured and created a team I am proud of. We are working to ensure that any of the issues we were met with due to my illness can never happen again. You’ll still see some of your old familiars, and some new, but we’re here!
If you’ve made it this far, I thank you for taking the time to hear me. I welcome the opportunity to discuss more as you feel you’d like to – whether you are an Intended Parent, Surrogate, Egg Donor, Clinic, lawyer or other said person in this (what should be) BEAUTIFUL Industry.