Beginning their fourth attempt in two years at starting a family, Thomas McCue IV and Sean Bresnahan search for a compassionate surrogate to bear their child. While each attempt has brought more hope and more heartbreak, they have created a home filled with love and dogs — the only thing missing is their “little one.
A Longing for Fatherhood Beginning their fourth attempt at starting a family in two years, Thomas McCue IV and Sean Bresnahan search for a compassionate surrogate mother to bear their child. Each attempt has brought more hope and more heartbreak. Tom and Sean want nothing more than to become fathers. They have created a home and filled it with love and dogs – the only thing missing is their “little one.” Thomas McCue and Sean Bresnahan share a quiet kiss in the living room of their home in Parish, N.Y. The two are kids at heart – watching suphero and old Disney movies is a common night in. Their three labradoodles Maxwell, Oliver and Jack are always at their sides.
An emotional moment as the compassionate words of a potential surrogate mother resonate with Tom. Phone interviews are one of the first steps in a process that the couple has become familiar with over their multiple attempts.
Tom embraces Sean as Sean cooks breakfast for a guest. "He's able to check [his emotions] a lot better than I can," Tom said.
Oliver developed an infection in his paw and had to undergo surgery to remove an abcess. Tom and Sean soak his paw in epsom salt to keep it clean. "They are our boys. They're our first three children," Tom said of their dogs.
The three dogs race around the den as Tom sits down to do some work. While every moment may not be spent searching, their future family is always on Tom and Sean's minds. "It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," Tom said.
Maxwell was the first of the three dogs that the couple has brought into their family. The dogs are constantly looking for affection and beyond a child, there is the possibility of one more in the future.
Tom and Sean live in a house that has been in Tom's family for many generations. Many memories from Tom and generations before still exist in their lives. Tom's mother's childhood bear sits on a pillow in an unused bedroom upstairs.
