I was disgusted and felt sick when I found out I’d slept with my brother – then I discovered I had 22 other siblings
A WOMAN was left traumatised after taking a DNA test and realising she slept with her own brother.
Victoria Hill, now 39, had grown up with one brother, but she would soon discover she had at least 22 siblings, including one she slept with.
Victoria discovered the dark secret after she ordered a 23andMe DNA test kit after experiencing health problems to find out more about her genetics.
But in a sick twist of fate, she discovered her family had hidden a big secret from her.
The website revealed that the man she thought was her biological father wasn’t, in fact it was the fertility doctor’s sperm used to conceive her, without Victoria’s mum knowing.
Victoria had always thought she didn’t look like her dad, but was left stunned by the news, as was her mum.
Victoria’s mum, Maralee, 72, had gone to a fertility treatment to get pregnant but her doctor, Burton Caldwell, now 85, had used his own sperm to inseminate the woman without her knowledge.
And Hill’s mother wasn’t the only victim of deception, leading Victoria to find over 20 half siblings.
But the worst discovery of all was that one of her half-siblings was her ex-boyfriend from high school.
Victoria said: “I’m traumatised at the thought I’d been intimate with my brother.
“Now I look at people thinking, “Well, if he could be my sibling anybody could be my sibling!””
The pair were together until they left for college, and met up last year for a high school reunion with other friends.
While there, Victoria spilled the tea on Burton Caldwell, and how he had deceived her mum.
Concerned by the news, Mark revealed he recently found out he was conceived with infertility treatment to and went on to ask his mum about the process.
He soon found out she had also used Doctor Caldwell, and did a DNA test which proved Caldwell had used his own sperm – making Mark and Victoria half siblings.
Mark informed Victoria of the news via text message leaving her feeling disgusted.
Victoria told Closer: ” I felt sick at the realisation I’d had sex with my half brother!
What is fertility fraud?
Fertility fraud occurs when a doctor fails to obtain consent from a patient before inseminating her with his own sperm.
In the UK, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act of 1990 limits the number of families a sperm donor can provide samples for.
But that doesn’t mean fertility fraud hasn’t taken place in the UK.
One fertility clinic owner fathered 12 known children without patient consent and possibly hundreds of others over the course of two decades in the 40s.
“I could only be grateful we never married or had kids.
“It’s traumatising, it’s tarnished my whole school experience and me and Mark don’t speak. It’s too confusing.”
Victoria, who is now married with her own children, four-year-old Olivia, and baby Max, has now reconnected with 22 siblings, but there could be more.
The mum explains: My children now have countless unknown relatives – which is scary.
“When they start dating, any potential partner will need ot take a DNA test.”
Victoria has been traumatised by the whole ordeal and reached out to Caldwell for answers.
When she confronted him, she says he had no ‘remorse’ and simple stated he helped her mum have a baby which is what she wanted.
She’s been left haunted by the realisation she could have married and had children with her own half brother.
She also tried to file a law suit, but the woman quickly learnt that there was no legal grounds to punish Caldwell.
Most states have no laws against fertility fraud, and majority of doctors walk away untouched – with some even continuing practising.
Victoria is now hoping to change the law so no one has to go through the same ordeal as herself.
