BioHacked

A podcast about DNA

The first two episodes of the first season are great listens for DC people. I think that recipient parents would like it as well—it’s quite sympathetic to most parties. First we hear from and about Amber, the narrator and a DC person, and her parents. The next episode focuses on the donor.

Amber’s story has some similarities to Dani Shapiro’s “Inheritance”, and to my own. But the Ashkenazi Jew part is a surprise for this narrator in a different way than it was for Dani and me—she had no Jewish ancestry in her family but the 23 and Me results showed otherwise.

Amber also had a very…prolific donor. It’s nice that she has half-siblings to puzzle through the mystery with her. I often feel lonely, and weird, a lonely weirdo.

The half-bro I grew up with is “normal”—nothing changed in his origin story, and he doesn’t seem to be troubled that I’m not actually his full sibling. My parents seem more or less fine with it. (They’ve also had my entire lifetime to get used to this.) My donor’s son belongs to his father in a way that I obviously do not. So I’m a weirdo!

Actually, it often makes me feel a bit special. I think I’d rather be alone in trying to understand this part of my existence than to have a bunch of half-siblings in similar positions on their own (but shared) journeys. Plus, I’m super competitive and easily jealous, so I suspect I’d spend a whole lot of energy trying to be the Best Donor Conceived Offspring Ever! I’d want to be the donor’s favorite. As it is, I am, and always will be, his most and least favorite DC offspring, so I get all of the awards. I’m singular and special, not lonely and weird! See how easy that was?

Give BioHacked a listen if you are DC and haven’t already heard it! For those who are recipient parents or know RPs, the first few episodes might be helpful in both understanding the DC person, and hearing about the experiences of other RPs.

You can check it out on Apple podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Vimeo, etc.