A local woman has penned an original book about her family’s surrogacy journey.
Steph Dunn, an art teacher at Orillia Secondary School, wrote and illustrated the children’s book, I Will Carry You Now, this past summer.
“My older daughter, Fiona, she’s five, and she had started asking questions about why she wasn’t in my tummy. I have always been transparent about the fact that she and her sister were carried by a surrogate, and I wanted to tell that story, for Fiona and Eleanor and other kids, too,” Dunn said. “One in four couples have troubles with infertility.”
She did some research and discovered there wasn’t a lot out there for kids about surrogacy.
“One book talked about the surrogacy fairy, and I thought, ‘That’s not right.’ I didn’t want any dancing sperm, either. I wanted to make it factual but at their level at the same time. So, I came up with the metaphor of a seed, and it grew from there,” she said.
“I always like to have a project in the summer, so I started the book then, with an illustration I had already done of our surrogate, Kristen. She gave us such a gift; she was so selfless. I wanted to honour her. Eleanor was her eighth pregnancy, and she retired after that.”
I Will Carry You Now is suitable for kids from babyhood to age six.
“I wanted to make it a bit in the style of Robert Munsch, but I am Munsch and (Michael) Martchenko, too,” Dunn said with a laugh, referring to Munsch’s illustrator. “It’s rhyming, and fairly simple words, except for the word ‘surrogate.’ Eleanor pretty much has it memorized already.”
Dunn’s book has generated a lot of interest already.
“A friend is a family practitioner; she wants a copy for her practice. And I have had orders from Newfoundland to Australia. I want to send it to our fertility clinic, and I am going to approach (Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital) and see if they are interested in carrying it in their gift shop. I sent it to Robert Munsch. And, of course, it’s at the Orillia Museum of Art and History, and that’s where the book launch will be,” she said.
Dunn has long intended to turn her experience with surrogacy into something creative.
“I thought it might be a song, but I am so glad the book happened, and it is here. I hope it can help lots of families talk about their journeys,” she said.
The book launch will take place Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. at the Orillia Museum of Art and History. There will be treats and activities to keep the little ones busy, as well as a book reading. Signed copies of the book will be available there. To order a copy of the book, email Dunn at [email protected].
