On the up side, it sounds like this particular genetic disease can be ruled out in the donor. And it's pretty common - 1 in 500 is not that rare.
This is not only the second case of a donor conceived kid inheriting a genetic disease, it's maybe the second proven case, but it's REALLY HARD to prove that your kid inherited anything from the donor unless the bank cooperates.
One of the problems with sperm donors through the banks is their young age and the financial incentives. The first means that they often don't know their family's or their own disease history, for both social reasons (it's not 18-30 year old guys' job to keep up on family happenings, including illnesses, in our culture) and medical reasons (many of these guys, their siblings, and their parents are younger than many of us who are using their sperm, so their whole medical history hasn't emerged yet - obviously, you don't know your donor's dad will die of a heart attack at 42 if he's only 38 when his 20 year old son is out donating sperm).
However, it really pisses me off when this stuff is tied to sperm donation. There's nothing to suggest sperm donors are less healthy, overall, than any partner you might have, were you partnered to a virile male. In this case, the donor passes the disease on to his child, not conceived through sperm donation.
You can't pick the perfectly healthy, not a trace of genetic illness donor any more than you can the perfectly healthy, not a trace of genetic illness partner. It's just not possible.
I'm not saying be stupid - I wouldn't pick someone with a strong history of type 1 diabetes, say, because my dad is type 1 diabetic. And I would avoid donors with lots of acquired hearing loss in their families, if I could, because that runs in my family. I would also avoid people of the same inbred genetic lineage I come from, though I'm only 1/4 Acadian, I would not take an Acadian donor, because we have a high prevalence of some diseases and there are very strong genetic links. But I did pick a donor with a strong family and personal history of vision problems. Nothing huge, but they all wear strong corrective lenses. I, on the other hand, am the only person in my immediate genetic family who does not wear corrective lenses, but most of my extended family has great vision, so I was willing to risk vision more than hearing.
It's a calculated risk. Yes, we can control our donors' histories more if we're using frozen donor sperm, but when there's a personal connection there, you've gotta ask yourself what the risk is and whether you can live with it.
I wouldn't go so far as to say "were I partnered to this guy, would this be a deal-breaker, would I turn to donor sperm or not have chilren?" That's too extreme, as is "Go with who you want, you have no control over it, nobody is perfect." but somewhere between the two is your comfort zone and once you find it, it will be clear.
I hope this works out for you, Amanda!
This is not only the second case of a donor conceived kid inheriting a genetic disease, it's maybe the second proven case, but it's REALLY HARD to prove that your kid inherited anything from the donor unless the bank cooperates.
One of the problems with sperm donors through the banks is their young age and the financial incentives. The first means that they often don't know their family's or their own disease history, for both social reasons (it's not 18-30 year old guys' job to keep up on family happenings, including illnesses, in our culture) and medical reasons (many of these guys, their siblings, and their parents are younger than many of us who are using their sperm, so their whole medical history hasn't emerged yet - obviously, you don't know your donor's dad will die of a heart attack at 42 if he's only 38 when his 20 year old son is out donating sperm).
However, it really pisses me off when this stuff is tied to sperm donation. There's nothing to suggest sperm donors are less healthy, overall, than any partner you might have, were you partnered to a virile male. In this case, the donor passes the disease on to his child, not conceived through sperm donation.
You can't pick the perfectly healthy, not a trace of genetic illness donor any more than you can the perfectly healthy, not a trace of genetic illness partner. It's just not possible.
I'm not saying be stupid - I wouldn't pick someone with a strong history of type 1 diabetes, say, because my dad is type 1 diabetic. And I would avoid donors with lots of acquired hearing loss in their families, if I could, because that runs in my family. I would also avoid people of the same inbred genetic lineage I come from, though I'm only 1/4 Acadian, I would not take an Acadian donor, because we have a high prevalence of some diseases and there are very strong genetic links. But I did pick a donor with a strong family and personal history of vision problems. Nothing huge, but they all wear strong corrective lenses. I, on the other hand, am the only person in my immediate genetic family who does not wear corrective lenses, but most of my extended family has great vision, so I was willing to risk vision more than hearing.
It's a calculated risk. Yes, we can control our donors' histories more if we're using frozen donor sperm, but when there's a personal connection there, you've gotta ask yourself what the risk is and whether you can live with it.
I wouldn't go so far as to say "were I partnered to this guy, would this be a deal-breaker, would I turn to donor sperm or not have chilren?" That's too extreme, as is "Go with who you want, you have no control over it, nobody is perfect." but somewhere between the two is your comfort zone and once you find it, it will be clear.
I hope this works out for you, Amanda!
Lyndzies.
