Well, I could give you some eggs,
Samantha Gadd told Nicole Retter, offering a lifesaving route to parenthood after Retter spent five years struggling with endometriosis and failed IVF rounds.
Egg donor Samantha Gadd helped acquaintance Nicole Retter have children by donating 21 eggs in an arrangement that bypassed New Zealand’s commercial ban. Retter, who founded the family admin manager app Pam, barely knew Gadd when the business owner and HR industry leader made her quick offer.
The Five-Year Struggle and IVF Toll
Retter endured 10 surgeries for endometriosis and described the period as five years of hell
trying for a baby with her husband Tyler Kendall. At age 29, her anti-Müllerian hormone test results showed undetectable levels, and four rounds of in vitro fertilisation—including two private rounds costing around $12,500 each—proved soul-destroying
. It was definitely the hardest period of mine and my husband’s lives,
Retter said.
Gadd, who has three children and had previously thought about helping family members with fertility struggles, felt immediate empathy. I couldn’t imagine being in a position where I couldn’t myself have children, I had a lot of empathy for that,
Gadd said. She asked Retter for more information, suggested she talk to her husband, and knew immediately she would proceed.
Building a Unique Family Relationship
Before beginning the medical procedure to retrieve Gadd’s eggs a few months after their first coffee, the families met for lunch to assess shared values and concerns. Retter initially worried Gadd might want unlimited access, but those concerns quickly subsided.
There’s no to-do list on how to create a relationship with someone who’s giving you their DNA to create your children,
Retter noted. The arrangement settled when Retter suggested Gadd become an aunty, with their families catching up on birthdays and sharing pictures. Retter noted she never doubted Gadd: The thing with Sam is, if she says she’s going to do something she’ll do it, and you get that feeling from her the minute you meet her.
