‘Complete strangers’ helping Adelaide couple Sarah and Tom Starkey’s baby dream come true

A young couple have been “overwhelmed” by an outpouring of offers to be a surrogate for their child – with their dream now looking like it could come true.

An Adelaide couple say they have been overwhelmed by offers from “complete strangers” to be a surrogate for their child.

Sarah Starkey, who has fought a more than two-decade battle against Crohn’s disease, and her husband Tom Starkey made an emotional call-out on social media earlier this week to find a surrogate to help them have a baby.

Royal Adelaide Hospital nurse consultant Mrs Starkey, 38, has gone through six rounds of IVF and had three miscarriages – with complications from her Crohn’s disease and subsequent ileostomy surgery meaning she is unable to carry a pregnancy to term.

Since sharing her story, Mrs Starkey told The Advertiser dozens of people had reached out offering to be the couple’s surrogate.

“I’ve been so overwhelmed with the generosity – complete strangers want to help us, it’s just honestly phenomenal,” she said.

“I think it’s actually going to happen now.”

Sarah Starkey, a Crohn's and IBD ambassador, and her husband Tom Starkey are looking for a surrogate. Picture: Supplied

Mrs Starkey hopes her journey will help others feel less alone when it comes to chronic disease and fertility. Picture: Supplied

Mrs Starkey said she hoped that sharing her story would help others with chronic illness or experiencing fertility struggles not to “suffer in silence”.

“We want to help other people,” she said.

“If people are really serious about surrogacy, there are whole communities out there offering support and advice – the Surrogacy Australia page on Facebook is filled with others going on the same journey.”

A passionate ambassador for Crohn’s and Colitis Australia, Mrs Starkey said she knew her disease would come with fertility complications – but never imagined it could rob her of the chance to have children of her own.

“I sort of always knew that conceiving might be a little bit challenging, but I didn’t expect it to be this challenging,” she said.

Sarah and Tom have been overwhelmed by support after their emotional social media plea to find a surrogate.

She hoped that sharing her story would help combat the stigma around miscarriage and inspire others to reach out for support if they are facing health battles of their own.

“There are so many people that suffer in silence. So many women I’ve worked with have since told me, ‘I’ve had a miscarriage’ – but they had never told me before.”

“Once you open up and share a little bit, the support you get back is just huge.”

Surrogacy is legal in South Australia but any payments made can only be to reimburse a surrogate for their expenses.

Surrogates must be at least 25 years old.

Parties must seek legal advice and counselling before making a surrogacy arrangement, which must be agreed in writing.

Originally published as ‘Complete strangers’ helping Adelaide couple Sarah and Tom Starkey’s baby dream come true