What happened when a sperm donor met his unknown kids - The Sunday Story

精子捐赠者遇见了他未知的子女们——周日故事

The Story

2026-02-01

19 分钟
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In 1992, Helen Down's brother Richard was studying for a master’s in artificial intelligence at Cardiff University. There, he had a brief side hustle as a sperm donor - a confession he'd only made to his family as an adult. Through a DNA website, the link was made and Helen met her niece and nephew for the first time in 2024 - the product of her brother’s sperm donation 30 years ago. So, what exactly happened at at the family reunion? And how did these new family members unlock an even bigger mystery? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Read by: Helen Down. Producer: Dave Creasey. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: What happened when a sperm donor met his unknown kids Photo: Tim Jobling, Duncan Elliot for The Times Magazine. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  • It's not difficult to find out who.

  • It's easy to know what and where.

  • But why is harder?

  • Why takes patience, intelligence, determination?

  • Why takes over 700 of the best journalists in the world,

  • united by a fearless drive to unearth the truth?

  • Why is difficult and more important than ever before?

  • For the why, Financial Times.

  • From The Times and The Sunday Times, this is the story.

  • I'm Luke Jones.

  • Every year, thousands of men donate their sperm,

  • giving women and families across the world a chance to have a baby.

  • And usually, almost all involved never meet.

  • Usually.

  • That wasn't the case in today's story.

  • Almost 30 years after her brother donated his sperm,

  • Helen Down found herself sitting in her parents' garden,

  • waiting to meet the nibblings she never knew she had.

  • So what exactly happened at this rather unusual family reunion,

  • and how did these new family members unlock an even bigger mystery?