Dilemma of man 'asked by social workers to donate organ to son he is not allowed to see'

A man has claimed social services have thrown his life into "chaos" by asking him to donate an organ to a son he never knew he had, and whom he is not allowed to see. Michael Shergold, a father-of-three, said he was in the "dilemma" of having to decide whether to risk his own life with a dangerous operation for the boy whom he may never be able to meet.

Mr Shergold said he was contacted by Hampshire Social Services to be told he was the father of another child - a five-year-old son from a previous, short-lived relationship. He was told a former girlfriend, unable to cope with the demands of motherhood, had handed the boy over to foster parents.

Mr Shergold said he was told a meeting with the new-found son was out of the question. He was also informed the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was to be formally adopted and the council was ringing merely to let him know. Mr Shergold, who believed he was responsible for the child, began a legal fight to secure custody.

He and his wife, Alex, later discovered however, that his son had been diagnosed with a severe problem in one of his organs. For legal reasons, they said, it was not possible to be more specific. But the boy stands little chance of living beyond his teenage years without a transplant, from a blood relative if at all possible, they said. The most suitable blood relative, it was explained by social workers, was Mr Shergold himself.

Mr Shergold, 55, said he believed social services had only made him aware of the boy's existence only to provide the child with a body part.

"Words cannot express the anger and bewilderment I feel," he said. "I simply cannot believe how social services can be so cruel. To track me down, tell me I have a son I knew nothing about, throw my life into chaos and then tell me I will never be able to see him is nothing short of disgraceful."