Sperm donor with schizophrenia struggles for lying about his health and his father 36 children | the Chronicle

In several countries, it is very common for men to go to sperm banks to donate their genetic material, to get some extra money and also to help women wanting to be mothers.

This is the case with a subject in the United States, which appeared almost 20 years ago on one of these sites. In form, it was presented as a “beautiful and athletic person” with a very high IQ.

However, after almost a decade and a half, it was revealed that it was all a hoax and that in fact, he was schizophrenic with suicidal and criminal tendencies. During this time, he impregnated dozens of women and became the biological father of 36 children..

The story of a mythomaniac

In 2000, Chris Aggeles, who was 23 at the time, dropped out of school and started working as a waiter in a state restaurant “Yankee” from Georgia. One of his roommates found an ad in the student newspaper and thought the young man was a great candidate.

After that, Aggeles said it was a way to make money and an opportunity to achieve some kind of stability in life. “In a way, it was an honor for me to become a donor. You could say I felt special.the man said years later on a podcast.

The boy contacted the Xytex sperm bank and completed a donor questionnaire. In his profile, Aggeles indicated that he has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, a master’s of science in artificial intelligence and is working on a doctorate in neuroengineering.. He then completed a six-page medical history survey, in which he wrote that he was in perfect health, noting only that his father was color blind.

Aggeles biomaterial was in high demand by customers due to its impressive profile, where it also indicated the physical resemblance to the actor Tom cruise.

His big secret

Aggeles hid an extremely relevant: in 1999 he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He noticed the first signs of the disease in high school: before bed, he heard voices repeating his name.

Now, man insists he did not have schizophrenia, but a temporary condition known as schizophreniform disorder. He has similar symptoms, but it doesn’t last longer than six months. However, court documents in the case against him indicate the diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective psychosis.

In 2005, Aggeles was convicted of robbery. He pleaded guilty and spent eight months in prison. He was also suicidal: in 2014, he walked into a shooting range and asked to rent a gun because he wanted to kill himself.

Since 2016, affected couples in the US, UK and Canada have filed a dozen lawsuits against the sperm bank which failed to verify the donor’s biography. The families blame the clinic for misrepresenting not only Aggeles but also another donor. In each case, the judges’ decisions were different.

One of the victims, Wendy norman, from Peachtree City, used Aggeles biomaterial in 2002. She recalls how she selected a potential father for an unborn child and found his profile. She was impressed with his intellectual level and physical appearance.

As a result, Norman chose this donor, got pregnant successfully and gave birth to a son, whom she named Alex. He did not hide from the boy who his biological father was and showed him the profile of the donor on the clinic’s website.

They both couldn’t believe when they found out who this donor really was. The family fear that Alex may also be diagnosed with hereditary schizophrenia. According to his mother, he has suffered from a mental disorder since elementary school.

Justice issues

In November 2017, Wendy norman and your partner Janet They sued the sperm bank, charging the clinic and two of its employees with fraud, negligence, misleading advertising due to negligence, as well as selling substandard merchandise and breaching warranty obligations. Xytex refuses to admit his guilt.

Norman’s statement reached the Georgia State Supreme Court. According to the record, Alex was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and a genetic blood disorder inherited from his father.. In addition, in the past he was hospitalized with suicidal tendencies, which were also observed in his biological father.

On September 28, 2020, the Georgia Court of Appeal partially appealed the Supreme Court’s decision. Xytex officials continue to insist that the lawsuit raises the issue of wrongful birth, which is not supported by state law.