In this bonus episode, Louise launches her 'Send This To...' series, where she speaks with Neil, a sperm donor and her biological father, about his motivations for donating in the 80s and 90s, and his experience of no longer being anonymous. As the title suggests, the idea is to ‘send this to’ anyone it could be relevant for. Welcome to our first episode, ‘Send This To... A Donor’. 'Send This To...' is written, produced, and hosted by Louise McLoughlin. You can follow You Look Like Me on Twitter and Instagram: @YouLookLikeMe_ Louise is on Twitter and Instagram @LouiseJoUK And while you're here.... You Look Like Me is a labour of love from a two-person team, produced alongside our day jobs. It's also self-funded. If you want to support us you can buy us a coffee: http://ko-fi.com/youlooklikeme
A quick language warning before we start.
This podcast contains the word wank and now it contains it twice.
Nobody ever suggested to me, oh, have you thought about going and having a DNA test?
And it never crossed my mind that that was an option.
So you expected to be completely anonymous and then obviously you weren't.
Why don't you introduce yourself and your relationship to me?
Well, I'm Neil and I'm the donor.
You're the sperm donor.
Exactly, yeah.
And yes, I'm the sperm donor, biologically your father and many, many years ago as a student, gave some donations anonymously at a sperm clinic in London.
Okay, so, yeah, for context, we're in the UK right now, we're sitting in my flat in London.
And you don't live here anymore, but you did when you were a student and you donated back when the law basically said you'd be anonymous.
But here you are sitting a few feet across from me, very much not anonymous.
So, yeah, what happened?
That's a journey, isn't it?
Welcome to send this, a new addition to the you look like me podcast series where I speak to everyone from donors, recipient, parents and others impacted by the world of donor conception.
It's an opportunity to hear their side and for them to hear ours.
As the title suggests, the idea is to send this to anyone.
It could be relevant for.
Welcome to our first episode, Send this to a donor.