14 DAY TRIAL // If this intercession succeeds, it would be a world's first. A soldier's widow has achieved success in having sperm taken from his body and frozen four days after he died in Iraq. Sgt. Dayne Darren Dhanoolal, 26, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armour Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, in west Georgia, died on March 31 because of an explosion that occurred near his vehicle, in Baghdad. His widow, Kynesha, stated they had plans of having children.
A federal judge in Columbus, Georgia, granted her request for a sperm sample extraction from Dhanoolal's body before being embalmed. The samples were extracted later that day and are in the custody of a medical representative for the widow.
The question is if the woman will succeed, as experts believe the sperm was already dead at the moment of extraction.
"It's not viable," said Dr. Andrew McCullough, associate professor at the New York University School of Medicine.
Usually, sperm keeps its normal movement and function for the first three hours following the death of the man. Then, a decline in the motility and viability of the sperm cells installs. In fact, in most cases, viable sperm cannot be collected 24 hours after the death, except the cases when the body has been preserved at low temperatures. Thus, the woman is lucky if necessary precautions were taken to maintain Dhanoolal's body cool enough in the first four days after his death.
"There have been reports of viable sperm being retrieved up to 36 hours after a man's death. But it is highly unlikely any viable sperm could be retrieved four days later," said Dr. John Park, a fertility expert and assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine.
"My daughter hopes to have her husband's sperm artificially inseminated as early as this summer. We're trying to honor my daughter and Darren's wishes. All of his comrades and anyone who knew them knew he wanted children," said the widow's mother, Yvonne Watkins.
