Zoy Ferguson, a mom from Alabama, and Becca Tobin, a mom from London, matched through a U.S. surrogacy agency. Becca Tobin found herself at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, over 4,000 miles away from her home in London. She watched as the medical staff at UAB Hospital rushed her newborn son, Jude, to the Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit.

While worried for the fate of her son, Becca had a second person in the hospital who was on her mind and heart. Jude’s surrogate, Zoy Ferguson, who was recovering from an emergency cesarean section.

Their surrogacy journey was technically complete, but the fight for Jude’s life was far from over.

Challenges of growing a family

Becca and Jake Tobin welcomed their first son, Theo, in 2016. During the pregnancy, Becca developed placenta accreta, a condition where the placenta attaches to the uterine wall and can cause serious bleeding and complications.

The Tobins and Fergusons enjoying an outing. Back: Zoy Ferguson, Becca Tobin, AnnaBelle Ferguson, Isabelle Ferguson, Abigail Ferguson, Jake Tobin; Bottom: Theo Tobin and Easton Ferguson.“I needed a partial hysterectomy to save my life, but we knew that meant I may not be able to carry another child,” Becca said. “After a year of follow-ups, we were given the word that another pregnancy would be too dangerous for me.”

Becca and Jake still dreamt of growing their family and started pursuing surrogacy. Their journey led them to an agency based in the United States where they matched with Zoy, a surrogate from Fort Payne, Alabama.

Zoy, a mom of four, became a surrogate to help her best friend dealing with fertility complications. While her friend went a different route, she still felt called to be a surrogate.

“When I met Becca and Jake, I knew immediately that these were my people,” Zoy said. “This was the family I was meant to help.”

The families instantly bonded during an initial virtual meeting. It was a unanimous decision to officially begin the surrogacy process. A few months later, the families received the sign they were looking for — a positive pregnancy test.

A complicated road to UAB

The first trimester went smoothly with Becca and Jake making the international trek for ultrasounds and milestone appointments. At the 13-week appointment, concerns arose. By 16 weeks, serious complications had developed, and the pregnancy became high-risk.

During Jude’s stay in the UAB RNICU, Becca, Jake, and Theo rotated being by Jude’s bedside and spending time back home in London.“Jude’s chances of survival were slim, but we all knew we wanted to give him the best chances by getting the pregnancy as far along as possible,” Becca said.

Fortunately, Zoy lived an hour and a half from UAB Hospital, where a team of high-risk obstetric specialists, neonatology experts and a Level IV RNICU made it one of few places in the United States with the resources and knowledge to give Jude the best opportunity.

Zoy began weekly appointments with the UAB maternal-fetal medicine team. At 23 weeks, she was admitted to the UAB Women and Infants Center for continual monitoring for the duration of the pregnancy. Zoy’s and Jude’s health started to decline a week later due to an infection. To ensure their safety, Zoy needed an emergency c-section.

Jude Tobin arrived on July 19, 2024, at 24 weeks and 5 days old, weighing only 1.7 pounds.

The fight for Jude’s life

Babies born at 24 weeks have a variety of challenges, from breathing to brain bleeds, to gastrointestinal issues. For Jude, it was his lungs.

Colm Travers, M.D., a UAB neonatologist and associate professor in the UAB Department of Pediatrics, specializes in extremely preterm babies and met Jude during his first week in the RNICU.

Becca, Zoy and Jude three days before Jude’s transfer to a London-area hospital.“At that age, the lungs are typically underdeveloped. In Jude’s case, he also had pulmonary hypoplasia, which made his lungs even more underdeveloped, stiff and fragile,” Travers said. “It made it difficult to get him the oxygen he needed while avoiding injuring his lungs. He was exceptionally sick during his first week.”

Jude spent the next five months in the unit receiving 24/7 care from the interdisciplinary team of nurses, neonatologists and respiratory therapists. All the while, Becca and Jake rotated being by Jude’s bedside and spending time back home in London.

“There were a lot of highs and a lot of lows. We really had to take everything day by day, hour by hour, and minute by minute,” Becca said. “And Zoy and her family were there for us every step of the way. Whether it was traveling to visit Jude or welcoming us into their home for the holidays, Zoy was our biggest cheerleader.”

For Zoy, supporting the Tobins and visiting Jude provided her healing from the rollercoaster of emotions from the high-risk pregnancy.

“When I got to hold him for the first time, I felt like everything was going to be OK. It repaired a part of my heart that I didn’t realize wasn’t there,” Zoy said. “He defied all odds. He’s a miracle, and he’s amazing. He’s so perfect.”

Crossing the pond

Despite many challenges, Jude began to improve. Once Jude came off the ventilator, the question became how to get him home to the United Kingdom.

Jude was discharged from a London-area NICU in February, five weeks after his transfer from UAB Hospital.Travers, who is from Ireland, became more than Jude’s neonatologist. He became an international liaison for the family. He contacted neonatology colleagues in the London area and connected the family with key organizations and resources. He ensured Jude’s medical information and needs were accurately translated from the American to British medical perspective.

“We use different values and medical terminology than across the Atlantic, so I was there to make sure everyone was on the same page,” Travers said. “Our goal is to get our babies home and help our families however we can, and many times that means going past our bedside care.”

On Jan. 9, 2025, after five and a half months of challenges and unknowns, Jude graduated from the UAB RNICU and was transported by a medical team to a London-area hospital. Five weeks later, he was fully discharged. The Tobin family was finally reunited under one roof.

For Becca, leaving UAB and Zoy left her with mixed emotions. On one hand, Jude had improved enough to finally go home. On the other, they were saying goodbye to a place that had become their second home, and a team that had become their village.

“We had no clue the journey that we would end up on, but I am so grateful we ended up at UAB,” Becca said. “Between the resources and the kindest medical staff, we couldn’t have ended up anywhere better. This is where we were supposed to be.”

While Becca and Zoy are now an ocean apart, their bond remains stronger than ever. The two are now counting down the days for Zoy to make her first trans-Atlantic trip for Jude’s first birthday.

“No one else could really relate to what we were both experiencing as moms. She became my person, and I was hers,” Zoy said. “I’m asked a lot if I regret it, but I could never regret helping them have Jude — ever.”