Susannah's Story

How old were you when you were told ?
I don�t remember how old I was when I was told. I have always just known.

Why were you told ?
I think I was told because my parents thought that it would just be stupid not to � it�s totally disrespectful not to tell the children. I think my parents wanted to have a completely honest relationship with me that they could be comfortable with me, and not hold any secrets that I think are human rights.

Why are you so open ?
I am so open about it because I see no reason not to be. There is nothing wrong with me or my family, why should I not be proud of who I am? Anyone can ask me any question and I will answer it.

Are you an only child ?
I have two older brothers (Note by OM: only one was conceived by DI, the other was conceived naturally in my first marriage).

Is your nurturing father dark or fair-haired. Do you feel very different ?
My Dad and the rest of my family are dark haired; well, they have brown hair. My Dad has blue eyes like me, but I am very fair and blonde. I don�t feel very different. I know the circumstances, and it only intrigues me to know about my donor.

Do you think about being a donor offspring very much? Are you constantly conscious of it ?
I am certainly not constantly conscious about being a donor offspring. Sometimes I don�t think about it all week, whereas some days it�s on my mind quite a bit, but I have better things to think about at the moment. I have analysed being a donor child for a long time. I know who I am and I am proud and confident with it so far.

How would you trace your donor?
I am not sure how I could go about tracing my donor: I don�t really think about it. It�s something I will leave to the future.

What benefit would you get? Won�t it leave you more confused ?
I don�t know what it would be like to meet my donor. I am not sure I would want to, but even simple facts would relieve thoughts that have been boggling my mind all my life.

Do you ever think about having genetic "brothers and sisters" ?
I do think about having all these genetic half brothers and sisters; it�s a crazy idea and I find it really interesting.

Would you consider using donor sperm if a future partner was infertile ?
Yes, I would definitely consider using donor insemination.