THE AUTHORS
Stephanie Levich and Alana Weiss
Photo taken of Alana (left) and Stephanie (right) at Alana's long-awaited baby shower in 2014 |
Alana Weiss and Stephanie Levich have been best friends since they were teenagers and are both mothers as a result of in-vitro fertilization. They have always been open about their fertility challenges and feel deeply grateful for their children and the extraordinary way they were conceived.
Stephanie is also the Founder and President of Family Match Consulting, an internationally renowned fertility consulting firm based in Los Angeles specializing in egg donation, sperm donation and surrogacy. Her passion for the work grew from the stories she was told of her own parent's journey to create their family through adoption. Stephanie, the first of her parent’s three adopted children, long carried the desire to help other hopeful parents start their families and, over the course of her 20 year career in the field, she is grateful to have helped more than 3,000 clients on their path towards parenthood.
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Because of Stephanie's adoption, her personal struggles with infertility, and her vast experience working in the field, parents often ask for her guidance when talking to their children about their birth stories. Stephanie's parents introduced her to her adoption story before she could understand the word itself, framing it as a celebration of love and family. Those early conversations shaped her understanding of how she came into this world in a healthy and positive way. Stephanie and Alana hope that From the Start will help other parents do the same.
THE ILLUSTRATOR
Darren Gate
Darren Gate is a children's illustrator based in Glasgow, Scotland. He has illustrated for picture books, chapter books, educational resources and magazines. His passion for drawing started when he was much younger as he ran around his grandparents' garden drawing slugs, snails, and other insects. Since then, Darren has found a passion for drawing people, children and animals. |
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