EXCLUSIVE Woman, 26, who discovered at age 20 that she was conceived using a SPERM DONOR is stunned to learn she has 77 secret SIBLINGS – after a stranger got in touch to reveal the identity of her biological father

• Sheena Holland-Dolan, 26, discovered she was conceived with a sperm donor 
• She has discovered 77 siblings  so far on ancestry website, 23andme
• She is close to many of her siblings and they even travel together 

A woman who thought she was an only child was shocked to find out she has not only a secret sibling – but 77 of them.

Sheena Holland-Dolan, from Cleveland, Ohio, has met dozens of family members – even becoming so close to one half-sister they went on their honeymoons together.

Sheena, 26, spent the first 20 years of her life thinking she had no siblings – until she found out her mom and disabled father had used a sperm donor to have her after struggling to conceive.

‘To say it was a shock was an understatement,’ Sheena admitted. ‘I was left shaken.’

Sheena Holland-Dolan (right) from Cleveland, Ohio, she was an only child was shocked to find out she has not only a secret sibling – but 77 of them

Sheena, 26, spent the first 20 years of her life thinking she had no siblings – until she found out her mom and disabled father had used a sperm donor to have her after struggling to conceive (pictured with some of her siblings) 

Sheena’s parents were told not to tell their daughter about her genetic father, but when she was 20, her parents ended up divulging the truth. 

‘It was a tricky situation, I was initially so upset that I’d been lied to,’ Sheena recalled.

‘I understand that back then, there was maybe an element of shame, and they would worry about what other people would think,’ she reasoned.

Sheena felt a pull to find out if she had any relatives out there, so went looking for answers on the ancestry website 23andme.

‘The prospect of siblings hadn’t even crossed my mind when I went hunting on family tree sites,’ she admitted. ‘But someone reached out to me and said: “I know who your dad is.”‘

It was there, Sheena found out she was the 47th sibling from the same donor to be found.

‘There are now 78 of us, and I’m sure a lot more out there waiting to be found too,’ the family orientated woman said.

Sheena was then invited to join a Facebook group set up by her older half sibling, Kianni Arroyo, who was trying to track down as many siblings as possible.

Sheena (pictured) found out she was conceived with a sperm donor when she was 20

Sheena felt a pull to find out if she had any relatives out there, so went looking for answers on the ancestry website 23andme – finding she had more than she ever could have imagined  (pictured with some of her siblings)

Sheena loves finding new siblings to add to the group, and has even found new relatives as young as five – and has  connected with their parents.

 Sheena found out she was the 47th sibling from the same donor to be found

Sheena discovered that her biological father had signed up to donate sperm when he was in college to earn extra cash and to help couples conceive.

‘I have kind of a morbid fascination with it, especially at first,’ she admitted. 

Sheena loves finding new siblings to add to the group, and has even found new relatives as young as five – and connecting with their parents.

‘Everyone has different levels of involvement, which is fine, but there are a lot of us who regularly meet up and we have such a great time,’ she explained.

‘Each time I meet a new half sibling, I’m looking for similarities – do they have the same dimples as me, or the same sense of humor?’ Sheena asked.

Despite not growing up knowing her siblings, Sheena said she – and her husband Andrew – noticed they share similar mannerisms. 

‘I first met up with Kianni after she invited me to visit her in Florida. I don’t like to say no to an adventure, so off I went,’ she said.

‘We instantly clicked, and I was so thrilled to have a sister,’ she gushed.  ‘We discovered we were both getting married at similar times, so we arranged to go on honeymoon together. It was so special.’

Sheena said her siblings have different levels of involvement, but there are a lot of them who regularly meet up and we have such a great time

Sheena said she’d love to meet all her siblings eventually, calling it an ‘exciting journey’

Although she feels there should be tighter controls and more regulations around sperm donation and clinics, she’s thrilled to have found a whole family.

‘I’ve been able to travel a lot and meet so many interesting people,’ Sheena said.

‘It does worry me slightly that if I go on to have children, I will have to warn them that they need to be very careful when choosing their partners,’ she added. ‘They will have so many close relatives out there who they will know nothing about.’

“I’d love to meet all of my half-siblings, eventually,’ she gushed. 

“It’s such an exciting journey.”

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