Some of you may be familiar with Melbourne solo mum Gail Pascoe through her blog platform ‘Donor Conception and Beyond’. Sadly, Gail passed away recently.

On discovering that her young daughter (conceived using an American sperm donor) had over 100 siblings around the world, Gail created the blog ‘in the interests of educating people about a safe and healthy way to make decisions about choosing a donor, and above all, protecting our children’. Her posts are practical yet sensitive and heartfelt, full of wise words and sound advice, and I’ve shared one of the most popular here. She was held in the highest regard by parents, professionals and donor conceived people, for whom she was a powerful advocate.

Before she died Gail completed her book, ‘Donor Conception: A Step by Step Guide’, which was published soon afterwards. The book promises to be an everything-you-need-to-know bible and roadmap for all those considering using a donor to create their family. It covers practical, ethical and social and emotional angles – including DNA testing and a raft of other topical issues – sensitively and comprehensively (although bear in mind that in terms of legislation and practice, it is very much Australia-focused). It has just been made available on Amazon and we’ll be adding it to our members’ library very soon.