His fantasies could not have been more off base. When they met, Seisler confided that he’d been a sperm donor for three years while in law school, and recently learned he was the biological father of a “little dude,’’ who wanted to meet him. Also, he confessed, a little girl.
And one more thing, Seisler said. They have, “like, 70 or so siblings.’’
Since that conversation Seisler has learned about even more children conceived with his sperm, and he is pretty sure that number will go up. He is registered on an online registry called the Donor Sibling Registry that matches children conceived by sperm donors with their biological fathers and half-siblings. Based on his calculations, “I have reason to expect between 120 and 140,’’ said Seisler. He recently met two of them - a 7-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother, who bore what Seisler calls “a bizarre resemblance’’ to him - as part of a reality documentary special, “Style Exposed: Sperm Donor,’’ which airs Sept. 27 on the Style network.
His experience puts a new spin on the definition of extended family, and makes for entertaining TV. “I don’t want to sound cold and calculating,’’ Leckas told Seisler after hearing the news, “but you can’t be at 70 birthday parties a year. There’s only so much Chuck E. Cheese you can take.’’
The situation highlights the complicated issues that are starting to emerge now that a sizable cohort of donor-conceived children are growing up and wanting information about their biological fathers. Issues such as: What if the kids want to meet the fathers? What if children from the same sperm donor meet each other, and unwittingly get married? When’s the right time to tell your girlfriend that you were a sperm donor? (Seisler broke the news to his on their third date.)
These are issues a lot of men may not have considered back at the sperm bank, a lucrative source of quick cash. Seisler averaged $150 per donation and said the transaction seemed pretty uncomplicated.
