Defining Diego
Defining DiegoSubscribed: 44,259Played: 186,523
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© Somethin' Else
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Defining Diego is the story of one Guatemalan adoptee and his mother, a reporter who documented their journey from his earliest steps, as they try to understand how international adoption boomed and busted, and what it all means for families like theirs, with feet in two worlds.
When Laurie Stern set out to adopt a baby from Guatemala in 1999, she thought the process would be pretty straightforward. Lots of people were doing it.
But the adoption was held up just as she went to Guatemala to get her son, Diego. That began a journey of discovery. What unfolds is the story of why international adoption peaked — and then collapsed — in Guatemala. It is also the story of how Diego, now 24, learned to be a Maya man with deep roots both in his birth village and Minnesota, where he still lives.
Now, Diego has questions about his adoption, too — like why tiny Guatemala was such a popular choice for many adoptive parents in the U.S. and Europe in the early 2000s. As one of more than 50,000 Guatemalan adoptees, Diego’s still figuring out what it means to be Guatemalan, American, indigenous Tzutujil, and an adoptee raised by white parents in St. Paul, Minnesota.
At its heart, Defining Diego is a deeply personal narrative: of a mother and son grappling with big questions about identity and health, and the meaning of home and family. Using 20+ years of the family’s archive recordings, we hear Diego grow up — and begin his own journey of self-discovery
Defining Diego is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now.
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A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.
When Laurie Stern set out to adopt a baby from Guatemala in 1999, she thought the process would be pretty straightforward. Lots of people were doing it.
But the adoption was held up just as she went to Guatemala to get her son, Diego. That began a journey of discovery. What unfolds is the story of why international adoption peaked — and then collapsed — in Guatemala. It is also the story of how Diego, now 24, learned to be a Maya man with deep roots both in his birth village and Minnesota, where he still lives.
Now, Diego has questions about his adoption, too — like why tiny Guatemala was such a popular choice for many adoptive parents in the U.S. and Europe in the early 2000s. As one of more than 50,000 Guatemalan adoptees, Diego’s still figuring out what it means to be Guatemalan, American, indigenous Tzutujil, and an adoptee raised by white parents in St. Paul, Minnesota.
At its heart, Defining Diego is a deeply personal narrative: of a mother and son grappling with big questions about identity and health, and the meaning of home and family. Using 20+ years of the family’s archive recordings, we hear Diego grow up — and begin his own journey of self-discovery
Defining Diego is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now.
From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go.
Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month.
Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Defining Diego show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com.
The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.
25 Episodes
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In the age of DNA, not many things can stay buried forever. BioHacked S1: Family Secrets, explores how at-home genetic testing is upending the baby business, and putting the children of anonymous sperm and egg donors into direct conflict with the industry that created them. Coming March 9th.
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Families are complex, and so are the ways they come together. TJ Raphael, host of BioHacked, speaks with the host of our upcoming season — All Relative: Defining Diego, coming to this feed on October 3rd.
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Defining Diego is the story of one Guatemalan adoptee and his mother, a reporter who documented their journey from his earliest steps, as they try to understand how international adoption boomed and busted — and what it all means for families like theirs, with feet in two worlds.
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Kurt donated his sperm hundreds of times. He thought his identity could stay hidden forever, but Amber and Kaitlin are on his trail. Will he connect with them, or forever remain a mystery?
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A Christmas present turns Amber’s life upside down. Shaken, she questions the very foundation of her identity — and struggles to learn the truth.
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Frozen semen, a media circus, and the father of sperm banking. The man and the moment that gave life to millions — and catapulted the fertility industry into a global business.
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An improbable tale to transform the human race, one genius at a time. Find out how a plan so seemingly out there wound up revolutionizing the baby business.
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A look at a family built by Robert Graham’s infamous Repository for Germinal Choice reveals the dark side of this genius sperm bank.
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The David and Goliath battle between an industry powerhouse and a family with a sick child.
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A grandmother, a granddaughter, and one anonymous donor's fight to maintain his privacy. What happens when a genetic test creates a family rift?
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Thousands of women donate eggs for cash or freeze them for personal use. Could this life-altering treatment be a lot more dangerous than we think?
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Donor conceived activists want lasting change, but they'll have to go big with their plans to overhaul the baby business. They've organized and strategized — and now, they're ready to take on the multi-billion dollar industry that created them. Even if it is an uphill battle.
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Fertility industry experts have a warning for donor conceived activists: new rules in the baby business could have some big, unintended consequences.
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From Facebook groups to Tinder-like apps, a new generation of parents are using unregulated tech to form families outside the baby business. Get to know the women and couples seeking out sperm online – and the donors stepping up to the plate to help them.
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The baby business has used shame and secrecy as tools for decades. But a new generation of parents are removing stigma by leaning into a model that centers love, science, and determination. How can the lessons of the past shape the way forward for the fertility industry?
Have feedback about the show? Email us at biohacked@threeuncannyfour.com. Follow our host on Twitter @TJRaphael.
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It’s 1999, and reporter Laurie Stern wants to adopt a child with her husband. At the time, international adoption seems pretty straightforward — Laurie wants a baby, and there are babies who need parents. But once she arrives in Guatemala City to meet a five-month old boy named Diego, she realizes that nothing about adopting a baby from Guatemala is that simple.
23 years later, Diego’s an adult, and he has questions of his own.
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Laurie takes three-year-old Diego back to Guatemala for the first time since his adoption. While Diego bonds with his birth mother Isabel, Laurie starts talking with birth mothers all over the country. Many are young, live in poverty, or are survivors of the Guatemalan civil war.
Despite how much adoption costs for families in the U.S., Laurie begins to realize how little birth mothers receive in exchange.
Meanwhile, Diego is growing up as an indigenous Mayan kid in St. Paul, Minnesota — loving hockey, hating Spanish lessons, and navigating what it means to have family in two places.
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Adoption has become a booming industry — the price is soaring, and Guatemala has become a top exporter of babies for adoption, second only to China. But when making families becomes secondary to making money, the cost to Guatemalan birth mothers is incalculable — and babies are treated more like products than people.
Meanwhile, on a trip back to his birth village, six-year-old Diego receives tragic news — and Laurie and her husband Dan face a tough decision.
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The international adoption racket is surging — and it’s gotten way out of control. All over the world, ugly stories begin to surface: of stolen children, shady adoption lawyers, and birth mothers pressured to give up their children. So in 2008, under increasing pressure from human rights activists, the Guatemalan government shuts the whole thing down.
And on a trip to Guatemala, Diego’s curiosity is sparked by seeing a photograph of his birth father for the first time.
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When Diego turns 12, he’s diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and his entire world turns inside out. The family goes into survival mode. Sick and angry Diego acts out — and Laurie and Dan struggle with how to parent him.
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🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Incredibly respectful and researched from all sides! The origins to today! This is a powerful story for many now. I could not agree more that this should be looked at as if donating a kidney or another body organ. I was hooked from the first episode! This podcast is a long time coming! CONGRATULATIONS! I look forward to next project!!
icant rremember english sounds you can push too maind .. i can losten farsi . it is just
If you agree to have your dna used to create another person, you're absolutely NOT entitled to anonymity. The created person has a right to know both halves of his creation. The rights of the offspring are clearly never considered. You are an adult. You made the decision to agree to be a source for a created person. Have fun dealing with the consequences of your own actions.
Just listening to this podcast and annoyed. If you donate anonymously you shouldn't be worried about being contacted.
he wanted to see of his kids are losers...SMH this is the guy who procreated hopefully that is a recessed gene.
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How often do new episodes drop?
I have been 100% sucked in!! can't wait for the next episodes!