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Max Tang: I Grew Up Partially Mute, and My Parents’ Egg Donor Did, Too
Max Tang/LinkedIn
Oct 15, 2026, 17:15

Max Tang: I Grew Up Partially Mute, and My Parents’ Egg Donor Did, Too

Max Tang, Founder of Beyond the Cradle Consulting, shared a post on LinkedIn about a paper by Rawan I. Awwad et al., published in Genetics in Medicine Open:

“I grew up partially mute – and my parents’ egg donor did, too. But I didn’t learn the word for my disorder until I was 19.

The first time I saw the term ‘Selective Mutism,’ I was desperately Googling for answers, suffocating under yet another involuntary spell of mutism.

Those two words were a revelation, a lightning strike that illuminated everything.

It wasn’t my fault. It was never my fault. And I wasn’t alone.

SM is a disorder where a person becomes so anxious in some social situations that they can’t speak. It starts on average around age 2-4 and has a strong genetic component.

SM isn’t ‘grown out of.’ Without treatment, it often gets worse.

Without an explanation for my voicelessness, I grew up blamed and ostracized.

I must be obstinate. Willful. Pretentious.

And every moment of it was unnecessary. If only we had the language. If only we knew.

My parents conceived through an anonymous egg donor. SM was not on the paperwork.

So, when the donor and I unexpectedly found each other in my 20s, it hit me. The knowing lodged in my throat before I even asked her. She had had SM, too, and so had her daughters.

If we had known – and had a way to exchange medical updates – maybe neither one of us would’ve had to suffer, voiceless and alone.

That’s why a recent journal article means so much to me. A team of 11 genetic counselors are publicly calling for professional guidance on how to handle medical updates for donors, recipients, and donor-conceived people (DCP) like me.

As a DCP, I’ve heard many stories of folks trying to pass on important updates only for banks and clinics to decline or fail to reply.

So, guidance from professional organizations like American Society for Reproductive Medicine – ASRM could truly be life-saving.

It could create a safer, healthier future for the next generations. One where every person has a voice.

Have you read the article? What kind of guidance would you like to see around medical history updates?”

Fairfax EggBank shared this post, adding:

“Our field spends so much time focusing on the science and care leading up to the creation of life, but if you’ve ever spoken with anyone at Fairfax EggBank, you know that our view of responsible care spans a lifetime.

We are thrilled that the work of Rawan Isam Awwad, MS, CGC and her colleagues is being seen, read, and taken to heart not just by the scientific community, but by the very people and families it is aimed at caring for and protecting.

Thank you for sharing your story, Max!”

Title: Advocating for professional guidance on medical updates in gamete donation: A perspective from US-based genetic counselors

Authors: Rawan I. Awwad, Lauren J. Isley, Katherine Hornberger, Kara Baldwin, Lauri Black, Allison Boyd, Gina Davis, Meghan Dean, Heather Kamen, Suzanne Seitz, Daniela Young

You can read the Full Article in Genetics in Medicine Open.

Selective Mutism

Stay informed with the latest updates in fertility and reproductive medicine on Fertility News.

Allison Boyd Daniela Young Gina Davis Heather Kamen Kara Baldwin Katherine Hornberger Lauren J. Isley Lauri Black Meghan Dean Rawan I. Awwad Selective Mutism Suzanne Seitz
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