Sydney couple Mira and Daniel Haddad stranded in Canada with surrogate baby

A Sydney couple whose dream of having a baby finally came true thanks to a surrogate in Canada cannot bring their son home because of Australia’s international flight caps.

They waited years to find a surrogate and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to make their dream come true – now a Sydney couple hold their miracle baby in their arms and just want to bring him home.

Unable to carry a child herself, Sydney 33-year-old Mira Abunucerah Haddad and her husband Daniel Haddad, 34, found a surrogate and travelled to Canada on July 1, quarantining for two weeks to be there for the birth of Tommy a week later. Finally a family of three, they were meant to come home this month, only to have four flights cancelled due to international flight caps. The earliest date the fully vaccinated couple can now get home is January 17.

Mira Abunucerah Haddad and her husband Daniel Haddad, with their son Thomas, are trapped in Canada.

“Holding him for the first time was my dream come true – I’ve been waiting for that moment for all my life,” said Ms Haddad, from Eagle Vale in Sydney’s southwest.

“We are currently moving from one cheap accommodation to the other as Vancouver is very expensive.

“We have to pay for acc­ommodation, car hire, petrol, food, insurance, baby items and food – living expenses here are very expensive.

“I’m currently very emotional and cry every time someone talks to me about our situation.

“The only thing getting us through all this is looking at Thomas and thinking how blessed we are to have such a beautiful healthy baby boy.”

A teacher, Ms Haddad is on leave from work, but Daniel, an electrician, has been stood down and is unable to claim any benefits. They are receiving no financial assistance and their families in Australia have contacted The Department of Foreign Aff­airs and Trade (DFAT), Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, with no response.

In July, the number of inbound passengers allowed through Sydney International Airport was halved to 1500 a week, and has since been cut to 750.

“United Airlines have been amazing and helpful, but ­unfortunately their hands are also tied as the Australian government is not communicating with the airlines to bring Australians home,” Ms Haddad said.

“Our flight home to Sydney with American Airlines was supposed to be on September 3 but this flight was cancelled as they stopped flying to Australia completely due to the international caps on arrivals.

“We then managed to book United Airlines for Aug­ust 31 but were bumped again, and calling United at least three or four times a day to try to get earlier flights, we were lucky to get on a flight for September 18 after a late cancellation.

“We were so excited to get home … but last week we got the dreaded email saying we got bumped off the flight home again. My heart sunk. We are so devastated and upset.”

The road to parenthood has been difficult for the Haddads …

… now they just want to bring baby Thomas home to Australia.

She said the couple had called Australian embassies in Vancouver and Toronto, and Immigration in Ottawa, but none could help them get home, or offer financial assistance.

“We have registered with safe travel and DFAT and our family in Australia have also sent letters, pleading to ­increase the international ­arrivals cap and to allow Australian citizens to return home,” she said.

“As Australian citizens, I don’t understand how we don’t qualify for Covid disaster relief payments – we haven’t chosen to stay abroad, we have no choice due to decisions made by the Australian government.

“They shouldn’t be all­owed to stop Aussies from coming home and returning to work … it’s unAustralian.

“We are also emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted. I need my family support and love at this most vulnerable time of our lives.

“Being a mum is already hard and being in another country and not being able to come home is not making our lives any easier.

“We are begging the Australian government to help us get home.”

While a DFAT spokesman was unable to comment on the Haddads’ individual case, he said the government had helped more than 55,000 Australians return since the start of the pandemic, including more than 26,800 people on 175 government facilitated flights.

“We are doing everything we can to assist Australians who remain overseas to return,” the spokesman said.

“There are around 45,200 Australians overseas registered seeking to return to Australia, with this number changing regularly according to people’s circumstances.”

Mr Haddad’s mother Josephine said their extended family was devastated.

“We just want them home,” she said. “We want to meet Tommy and have them home safely.

“Their whole lives are here and on hold. They are stuck in another country with a newborn and each time their flight is cancelled the rollercoaster starts all over again.

“It breaks our hearts that this is so hard. The government has to help. Someone has to do something.”

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