HONDELATTE RACONTE
A question that has turned into a frantic quest. Arthur Kermalvezen, the son of Irene and Henri, was born thanks to a sperm donation. For years, he looked for who his father was, until he found the answer to his question. He evokes this story in a book, The Son , and at Christophe Hondelatte on Tuesday.
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The "generous gentleman"
Married in 1979, Inès and Henri can not have children. Henri is sterile and the doctors explain to him that no treatment will be effective. But the couple dreams of being parents. They then turn to the sperm bank which, since 1973, collects free and anonymous donations. Three children will be born from this medically assisted procreation: Gaëlle, Joséphine and Arthur.
Inès and Henri have decided to hide nothing from their children. From an early age, they explain to them that a "generous gentleman gave a seed for the family". But Arthur wants to go further than this explanation. He wants to know who this "generous gentleman" is. As a teenager, he is obsessed with the idea of finding his parent. "A father is the one who is present, who looks after you, who scolds you, who wants you well," says Arthur, who does not seek a substitute for his father.
At 18, Arthur Kermalvezen pushes the door of the Cochin hospital in Paris, which has a sperm conservation center. He is looking for a trace of his parents in the circuit. Obviously, the refusal of the hospital is categorical. Then in 2006, Arthur decides to make his story public, through an article of the Parisian . This is how he enters an association that fights for access to origins. He becomes the spokesperson.
The DNA test
Some time later, with other members of the association, Arthur Kermalvezen decided to carry out a genetic test, through an American website. The practice is illegal in France if it is not motivated by medical reasons or for the purpose of scientific research. The US site, in addition to the results, proposes to display people whose DNA is relatively similar, to highlight kinship ties. This is how Arthur Kermalvezen discovers Laura S., who shares more than 6% of her genetic heritage.
After intense research, Arthur finds Laura S., who lives in London. He contacts her, explains her story ... The young woman is touched by the approach of the young man and agrees to help him. Her father did not give sperm, but she sends her family tree to Arthur. When he consults the document, he notices that a man could stick: Gerard, the brother of Laura's maternal grandfather, born in 1944. This is a new series of research that awaits Arthur. He ends up finding the Gerard he is looking for, an inhabitant of Seine-et-Marne. He goes on the spot several times, just to see, until the day he decides to write him a letter, with his parents, in which he explains his approach.
"Bravo for finding me"
On December 25, 2017, Arthur Kermalvezen gets a call. "Bravo to have found me," said the man on the phone. It's Gerard. He confirms that he gave his sperm being younger, and that he is Arthur's father. "The donor is not the stereotype, the social clone that we are portrayed: a nice guy who did not ask for anything and do not bother," says Arthur, who explains that Gérard is, at the contrary, requesting information and meetings.
We must now find a place in the family for this sire on whom we can now establish an identity. "We reflect together on this place that must be invented.In my head, there has always been a father, a mother and a sire," says Arthur. After several phone conversations, the two men will eventually meet. Arthur finally has the answers he has been waiting for since childhood.