After losing her only son to cancer, a Spanish actor found an extraordinary way to keep his legacy alive — by welcoming a baby girl conceived with his sperm.
Ana Obregón’s story has sparked conversations around the world, blending grief, love, and modern reproductive technology in a way few could have imagined. At the center is her son, Aless Lequio García, her only biological child, who died of cancer in May 2020.
Stored sperm
In 2018, Ana Obregón’s world was turned upside down when her 27‑year‑old son Aless was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer affecting the bones and surrounding tissue.
“When my son was diagnosed with cancer and about to begin chemotherapy, the doctors recommended he store samples of his sperm, in case the medication affected him in the future, to ensure he could have children,” the TV presenter, now 70, told Hola!, adding that the samples were stored in the United States.
‘The day my child went to heaven’
The actor explained that becoming a father was something her son deeply wanted — even if he wouldn’t be here to raise the child himself.
“Aless was already very ill and told us that, if anything happened to him, he wanted us to know that he wanted to leave descendants in this life. Even if he wasn’t here anymore.”
Aless died in May 2020, a loss that devastated Obregón and changed her life forever.
She has since spoken about how difficult that time was, explaining that “the day my child went to heaven,” she made the decision “to begin the surrogacy process. That very day.”
“From that moment on, the only thing that has allowed me to continue living each day, each second, is fulfilling the mission of bringing Aless’ daughter into the world,” she told Hola!, adding that it took several attempts for the pregnancy to succeed.
Aless’ daughter
On April 5, 2023, Obregón shared an Instagram post that shocked the world.
“My Aless,” she began in the emotional message, which included the Hola! cover showing her holding a tiny baby — Ana Sandra, her late son’s daughter. “I swore I would save you from cancer, and I failed you. I promised I would bring your daughter into the world, and here she is in my arms.
“When I hold her, I feel an indescribable emotion, because it’s as if I’m holding you again. I swear I will care for her with all the infinite love I have to give, and you will help me from heaven.”
She ended the post: “You are the love of my life in heaven, and your daughter is the love of my life on earth.”
‘Wanted from earth and from heaven’
The baby girl, affectionately called Anita, was conceived using the sperm Aless froze before treatment, along with an egg donor. In her interview with Hola!, Obregón stressed that her controversial decision wasn’t a “whim,” but her “son’s wish and last will.”
“If there are opposing opinions, I won’t tolerate any of them, nor will I accept any. Only the opinion of a father or mother who has buried a child. Only they can have an opinion and understand me,” she said, adding she has “nothing to hide.”
“It’s a source of pride, it’s a miracle. How could I hide a blessing from God?” Obregón said. “She is the daughter of a hero. She is the most wanted child in the world, because she has been wanted from earth and from heaven,” the Who’s the Boss actor shared of Ana — named after “her grandmother, her great‑grandmother, and her great‑great‑grandmother.”
‘I have been reborn’
The proud grandmother has said that when Anita grows older, she will be told the story of her father — who he was, how bravely he fought his illness, and how much he longed to have a child.
“This girl is not my daughter, but my granddaughter,” she said, explaining that “legally, she is my daughter.” “She is Aless’ daughter, and when she grows up, I will tell her that her father was a hero, so that she knows who he is and how proud she should be of him.”
“As soon as she’s old enough to understand, I’ll tell her. I’ll say, ‘Look, your dad wanted you, and sadly, he’s not here. He’s in heaven. He wanted you so much, and here you are, my love.’”
She added: “I have returned. I have risen again. I have been reborn. I died on May 13, 2020, and I was reborn on March 20, 2023, just like that.”
What do you think of Obregón’s decision to have a baby using her son’s sperm? Please share your thoughts in the comment section so we can hear from others.
