Summer McKesson's last couple of years were eventful when she discovered she had to undergo an emergency heart surgery due to multiple clots in her heart and lungs. She could not breathe easily due to these.
She underwent a series of serious medical events and after the open-heart surgery, was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a hereditary connective-tissue disorder. Her doctors found that her cardiovascular issues were linked to this genetic condition.
Since none of her family had this genetic condition, seeking further medical insight, McKesson enrolled in a consumer DNA test via 23andMe to explore potential inherited risks. According to her account with CNN, the test revealed not only her genetic disorder but also an unexpected family pattern: several half-siblings.
After trying to connect with the half siblings in 23andMe, she received information about her biological father from a half-sibling. Upon investigation McKesson learned her biological father was in fact Charles Peete, a former fertility-clinic physician at Duke University Hospital whose patients in the late 1970s and early 1980s had been told donor sperm would come from medical students. Instead, McKesson and many others discovered the doctor’s own sperm was used.
McKesson’s discovery is part of a broader‐emerging category of misconduct often termed “fertility fraud” — where fertility-clinic physicians or staff use their own genetic material without the patients’ informed consent.
In McKesson’s case, she connected with more than a dozen half-siblings who traced their paternal lineage back to the same physician. Some reports indicate the number could be higher as the practice may have occurred across decades and multiple families.
Her mother, Laurie Kruppa, had sought fertility treatment at Duke for three pregnancies and was told the sperm donor would be an anonymous medical student.
Marfan syndrome is caused by mutations in the FBN1 gene (fibrillin‐1), and leads to cardiovascular, ocular and skeletal complications. Because it is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, each child of an affected parent has a 50 % chance of inheriting the condition. Early diagnosis and monitoring are key to reducing the risk of life-threatening complications such as aortic aneurysm or dissection.
McKesson’s decision to share her story stems from her own diagnosis: she has urged her half-siblings and their children to undergo genetic evaluation for Marfan syndrome so that any necessary monitoring or interventions can be initiated early.
McKesson has publicly stated she wants to draw attention not only to her genetic disease but also to the discovery of multiple half-siblings and the underlying fertility-fraud context. She emphasises the importance of medical history awareness among people conceived via donor services — especially given potential inherited risks.
She is also calling on legislative and regulatory changes in North Carolina to hold clinics and practitioners accountable, make stricter laws and to increase transparency around donor conception and fertility-clinic practices.
Duke Health, in a statement, acknowledged that unacceptable actions occurred in its programme during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and asserted that such conduct would not be allowed under current protocols.
Because the physician involved died in 2013, legal recourse for the affected individuals may be limited, though the disclosure has raised ethical and medical-history questions.
References:
CNN. “DNA test solves a medical mystery — and reveals fertility-fraud case.” Oct 25 2025. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/25/us/dna-test-fertility-fraud
WRAL. Miller E. “Woman conceived by Duke Univ. fertility doctor hopes to raise awareness after sharing her story.” Oct 27 2025. https://www.wral.com/news/local/fertility-fraud-mckesson-north-carolina-duke-doctor-2025/
(Rh/TL)
