"Tracing my donor is something I am definitely going to try to do. It's very hard growing up and not knowing the other side of your genetic background and also dangerous if there is a history of family diseases. It's not that I feel deceived or let down by the medical profession but I don't feel complete and at the least I want to know what colour eyes my donor has. As much as I get all the love and support I need at home, it really upsets me when people say things like 'I have my father's nose and my mother's mouth' as they don't realise how special it is just to say that. When you know which bits of you came from your mum and your dad then you can focus on who you are. Trying to figure that out is hard enough let alone being a DI child and only knowing half. Knowing could establish what is what and help me feel relaxed and secure.

My father is 100 per cent undoubtedly Walter Merricks - the person who has been there since the day I was born, the man who wants me as his daughter, the man who loves me with all his heart, the man who has always been there for me and always will be. In no way would I ever consider my donor as my father, he is my genetic father but 'father' by itself sounds wrong. He gave me life and my parents great joy, but nothing else. I would like to think I will find my donor and though I know it is unlikely, my motto for life is 'never say never', so I am not going to give up without a fight. I respect the fact that donors want their privacy, but being a DI child I would do almost anything, including going to court, to find the man who gave me life. "

"I can't remember my parents telling me I was a donor baby - it is something I just seem to have always known about. Not only does that make it feel normal to me, if anything it makes me feel a bit special. At school one day when I was about eight I remember us having a biology lesson and everyone saying things like, 'I look like my dad or I have my mum's nose.' Right from then, whenever the subject was raised I would always say I was born through DI and they would ask what it was. I loved telling them because it made me feel special. I am not at all ashamed about it. There have been very few occasions when people have said anything negative. Sometimes people ask me what it says on by birth certificate. That is something I do feel very sensitive about because my dad is Walter and that's what it says on my birth certificate - they always put down the social father's name. But people don't intend to be horrible by asking questions. Oddly, it was a teacher who had the most problems dealing with it. She was talking about genetics and how the mother and father make a baby. I said that not everyone knows their biological father and there was such a thing as donor insemination. She was a bit shocked and didn't know what to say. That was strange to me because most people are usually interested and if they don't understand they ask me about it. But this teacher couldn't take the concept on board and I found that upsetting. I once had a really big argument with a friend when I was 10. She was threatening to tell the whole school that I didn't have a real father. I think it was more because it was something that she felt uncomfortable about and she didn't really know what to make of it. In the end she didn't tell anyone and although I was upset by her behaviour, it wasn't really a problem because of the way I have been raised to believe in myself. She thought it would hurt me and that I would believe I didn't have a real father. But that is just not true. Walter is undoubtedly my father. He's the man who wanted me to be born and I am thankful for that. Your father is the person who raises you and who is there for you. Walter is 100 percent my father. I've never had any doubts about him loving me. To me he is simply my dad. He helps me with my homework, cooks me dinner when I'm not well and is always there for me. I know I can trust him and I love him.

I admire dad. He's like a living encyclopaedia, but he's also sensitive towards me and always seems to know what to say. He knows when to be strict and when to be nice. He's just really sweet and I'm glad he's my father. On day, though, I would like to trace my donor father because I hate not knowing half of my genetic side. Other people take it for granted that they can say they look like their mum or have their father's mouth, but I can't do that. I sometimes fantasise about what my donor father looks like. I have little pictures in my head of him being blonde like me because my mum's family is Italian and they are all dark, so me being blonde is kind of weird. I'd also like to know the other half of my nationality and I usually think he's Swedish or Dutch because of my colouring and height. The thing that really fascinates me is finding out about his personality. My mum can get mad really easily - it's her Italian blood - and even Dad can get a bit worked up about things, but I'm very laid-back. I believe it is a basic human right for a DI child to know about her donor. I respect that he may not want to be named but I think donors should at least put down details of what they look like, the colour of their eyes and their height - basic things like that. If I knew what colour eyes my donor father had that would help me let go of a breath I have been holding on to for ages and make me feel better.

It really is about knowing these tiny details. It is the little things that matter. I'd also like to know what my donor likes and dislikes, his hobbies, favourite TV shows, his views on life, what he believes in an d what his values are. I believe these things are the key to understanding myself.

I think it is hard enough as you are growing up to find out who you really are without not knowing the full genetic equation. In your teenages years you are learning the basics about what clothes you like to wear and what magazines you want to read. It is hard to discover these things because you are surrounded by so many influences and get a lot of peer pressure. I know it is normal to feel insecure as a teenager, but I feel it is extra hard for me. The idea of knowing the other side seems to make other people's lives a whole lot easier. That is what is important for me. My motto for life is 'never say never' and I am going to try to do everything I can to find my donor. I don't want to live my life and say I didn't try, even though I do think it's highly unlikely I will be successful."