A Donor Conceived Adult
Tiffany Gardner, an adult DCP
Tag: donor conceived
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Top Secret: When Donor Conceived People Need Security Clearance
Little known fact: I wanted to pursue a career in the FBI after law school but my terrible eyesight disqualified me from the outset. But if I had perfect eyesight today, I don’t know that I would even try to apply. I have at least two friends who have been through the security clearance process.
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Unhappy Donor Conceived People Can Still Be Happy People
Sometimes people get the idea that donor conceived people who talk about the realities of anonymous donation and secrecy are just a bunch of bitter curmudgeons bereft of any joy in their lives. That’s not true. I have a wonderful life. I’m married to the man I fell in love with in high school when
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It’s Sibling Season
What is Sibling Season? It’s how those of us in DCP (donor-conceived person) support groups refer to late November into the new year. As the gift-giving holidays are upon us and Ancestry, 23 and Me, and other commercial DNA services slash prices, more people buy at-home tests for fun or as presents. Some folks get only one
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(Donor Conceived) Baby’s First Christmas
Something about the ornaments from my first Christmas hits differently now that I know I am donor conceived. I have no independent memories of the ornaments. Instead I found them while moving my grandmother and mom out of their houses, respectively. I think about what these ornaments must have meant to them as they hung
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This Ride is Exhausting
I was riding high for a couple of weeks. The Atlantic article came out, and in its wake I had doors open for more writing opportunities, podcast interviews, potential collaborations, and more. I was feeling good. Empowered. At peace. I told my therapist I felt as if the grief over my biological father was in
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All Siblings Are “Real” Siblings
People do not have to be genetically related to be “real” siblings. People who share a genetic parent are “real” brothers and sisters–even if they never meet or know of each other’s existence. For several weeks I have posted about why “real” is a horrible word to use when describing family. Both raising parents and
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A New Brother
If life can remove someone you never dreamed of losing, it can replace them with someone you never dreamt of having. @sloanestephens Twenty-four hours after my dad died (and just about two months after my biological father sent his “final chapter” email), a new brother showed up on my Ancestry DNA relatives page. I was
A Donor Conceived Adult 