One day, as I was listening to the radio, on my way to work…I heard a story about a couple who needed a sperm donor to have children, and that when they went to the clinic, there weren't many donors to choose from. I was really surprised to hear this.
I talked to my wife and she said why didn't I go and see what it was all about and if I was eligible. She was very encouraging as she knew what it was like to want a child and not be able to have one. We met later in life and we did manage to have one child after a few miscarriages. I know it affected her a lot more than it affected me. I was happy anyway.
All the steps to become a donor were pretty straight forward, and we met some nice people in the clinic.
I get a letter every year to tell me what has happened to my donations, and every year we get an invite to a meeting. We always try to go together. It is always interesting to hear other donor’s story’s. We had never told our daughter about what I had done, and I would think about it every time I got a letter, and when I go to a meeting I would ask how other guys told their children. Mostly they never kept it a secret.
One day I happened to leave a letter from the clinic on the table amongst the Xmas mail, and our daughter came across it ... She was really pleased! ... I was so relieved! Now we can talk about it openly, and she’s always asking me if there are any “new babies”?
We have had a photo from one of the 4 families, and we feel so lucky to have that. We don’t know if there will be more, but we know we will always be happy to help any families or children if they have questions, or if they want to meet us. I feel blessed that it is not just me who is involved, but also my wife and daughter. My daughter says she might be an egg donor when she is older! And carry on a new family tradition!