A Donor Conceived Adult
Tiffany Gardner, an adult DCP
Tag: genetics
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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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What is “Real”?
real (adj) – Being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verifiable existence; true and actual; not imaginary, alleged, or ideal. I never liked the idea of having a “real” dad versus a dad who was not “real.” Some people use “real” when they mean “genetic.” And unfortunately, other people use “real” to diminish someone’s
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The Need for Family Medical History
The waiting game. I’ve lost count of the number of moles I’ve had cut off and biopsied, but this week and next I will be waiting for the results to see whether one on my face is malignant or benign. When I was pregnant with my first son, a precancerous mole appeared on my ear
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The Pain of Rejection
Share your joys and sorrows with your family. a fortune cookie Some days I just cannot fathom how I will spend the rest of my life cut off by my biological father and his family. Worth nothing more to them than a stranger on the street when I want so badly to have some small
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When the Party’s Over
Happy birthday to my biological father. I look at the picture of the day we first met just under three years ago and still cannot believe this is and always was my life. I still have to tell myself that this previously anonymous and secret stranger is and always was my biological father. I still
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The Right to Know Our Genetic Identity
Today we raise awareness about the right to Genetic Identity, which has been recognized by the United Nations. Anonymous sperm and egg donation prohibit a person from having lifelong medical history updates, knowing their ancestry, and understanding exactly what parts of them are due to nature versus nurture. Anonymity leads to burning questions that are
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Curiosity is Not Dictated by the Reasons for Absence
You can’t be a sperm donor without also being a biological father. We Are Donor Conceived via Instagram My first father died when I was four. I barely knew him. But would anyone have told me never to wonder about him? That I shouldn’t care to know more? That he was not my father because
A Donor Conceived Adult 