A "savior sibling" woman posted on Reddit that she refused to visit her dying mother, who gave her away after finding out that she would not be able to donate bone marrow to their child.
The post, which the moderator has since removed, was posted on Reddit's famous "Am I The A**hole" forum. It got more than 16,000 upvotes and more than 2,300 comments.
The woman, 35, explained that her parents had her because her older brother required a bone marrow transplant, but when she was born, the parent learned that their bone marrow did not match. The mom planned to leave her for adoption. Her grandmother offered to raise her, while her mom had another child who was a match a year later, and they kept him.
Savior siblings
When parents have a child with a severe illness that requires a stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant, some will opt to conceive another child that will be matched to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) to their sick child, according to Parent's Guide to Cord Blood. Often called the backup child, the child is born to provide bone marrow, or cell transplant, to a sibling affected with a fatal disease.
The parent would often opt for an in vitro fertilization (IVF) since it increased the chances of getting the "exact immune tissue match to about 90 percent."
There is no exact data on the number of savior siblings born yearly. However, one percent of the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is used to create a fetus that is an exact match of its sibling.
The procedure involves inseminating multiple mature eggs with a single sperm. The resulting embryos are grown in culture for a few weeks before being biopsied and evaluated for specific genetic conditions. The chosen embryo is then transferred to the uterus.
Given away due to incompatible bone marrow
According to Newsweek, she also grew up knowing that her biological parents did not want her and shared that her birth parents and sibling pretended that she did not exist and did their best to avoid her. The "savior sibling" admitted she is over it now, but she had a difficult childhood and teenage years because of the circumstances.
The grandmother cut off her biological mom from the inheritance but gave her a share. The mom was unhappy with the decision as they were struggling financially, and the inheritance would have helped them. Since then, the mom finally acknowledged that she had a daughter and tried to convince her to give her the inheritance. The woman refused.
Recently, a cousin reached out to her to tell her that her mom was dying, and she regretted everything. She also wished to see her and ask for forgiveness before she died. The woman refused, adding that she did not need her in her life and did not owe her anything.
Many comments supported the woman and defended her decision, with some calling the biological mom her "egg donor."
