Here are the stories from the individuals who responded in threads likethis oneandthis one.
“I am a member of Tall Clubs International, a group for people above average height.
I stand at 64 and am one of the shortest members of the group.
One of my friends is from a family of short(er) people.
His parents were 53” & under 5 feet tall, and his sister is 55.
“A friend of mine was born using a sperm donor in the ’80s.
She sent them all messages, hoping to meet this other family and maybe even her biological dad.
Except none of them knew him either.
There was, of course, some family drama left and right.
When the dust cleared, though, they all decided to band together and find their real dad.
Life is crazy.”
Jason W.
3.
“I had long had a suspicion that my father was not my biological father.
We looked nothing alike.
At some point, my sister’s MIL gave her an AncestryDNA kit for her birthday.
Sure enough, it came back that she was 0% Egyptian.
Both our parents have been deceased for several decades so we couldn’t ask them.
At that point, I figured I should just go ahead and take the DNA test myself.”
“When I was 17 years old I was taken to court for a paternity suit by my ex-girlfriend.
She claimed I was the father of her child.
She and I were sexually active and did not use effective birth control.
Ultimately, I pleaded no contest and started paying child support monthly.
I supported the girl for 19 years with no visitation rights.
Again, I was ordered by the judge to pay the increase as my income increased.
Fast forward to today, the girl (who now has a daughter of her own) messaged me.
I would like to pay to have a DNA test done.
Would you agree to this?'”
I had nothing to lose so I agreed.
We got the results back, and it was determined I was NOT her father.
She and I went through so many emotions.
Anger, relief, sadness, and more.
I have messaged the mother with no reply.
I feel bad for the girl because now she never knew her biological father and probably never will.
I have no recourse to collect the support payments as Canada has no statute.
I will just live with the fact I helped support a child that turned out good."
Jamie K.
5.
All three of my kids had 23andMe DNA tests taken at the end of 2023.
They are all in their 30s now.
This definitely has been an adjustment for our family, as we all felt betrayed.
At 65, to find out you have no biological children was very shocking.
To make it worse, I am the last male descendant in my family."
“Many years ago, one of my brothers was accidentally killed.
He had a girlfriend.
She never reconnected with any of her family again.
Nothing could be found as to what had happened to them.
So we were hoping to find someone who remained from her family.
I also got one that said a niece or cousin had been identified.
We were certain this was a mistake because we could account for every single person in our family.
To make a long story short, my brothers girlfriend moved back to the East Coast after he died.
None of us thought anything of it.
She was grieving and wanted to be close to her mother.
But apparently, after a couple of months, she found that she was pregnant.
Keep in mind, this was the very early ’80s when OTC pregnancy tests were not a thing.
This was also before cell phones.
Also, she had been seeing another man while she and my brother were dating.
Anyway, we were able to get in touch with this mystery relative via Ancestry.
When we met in person, I almost fainted.
My Mom got her wish, after all, a child of the child she lost.
But we never did find any of my Grandmas family.”
Beth M.
7.
I surrendered my daughter in 1966 when I was 18.
It turns out this woman who contacted me is, in fact, my 58-year-old daughter.
We connected and talked.
I gave her life but couldn’t raise her.
I know it was a good thing, in hindsight.
She has now withdrawn from me, which is her understandable choice.
I let her know I am here for her when she is ready."
Their parents had passed, so there was no one to ask about it.
My friend and siblings were about ten years younger than the children in their father’s ‘other family.’
They apparently accepted he had a new family.
“My friend said the newly discovered half siblings were excited to meet them finally.
She said that’s what she and her full siblings struggled with the most.
They think she wouldn’t have accepted the situation from the start, so she couldn’t have known.
But it still would have been a relief to ask her and know for sure.”
I’m adopted, and my adoption happened ‘behind closed doors’ back in the 80’s.
There was no letter from my birth parents, pictures, or even a name.
I started to get really curious about my background.
I always wanted to see a picture of my birth parents.
I was not seeking a relationship with them or to meet them.
“I found out I had a half-sister who had been born in a small town in Switzerland!
I was born and adopted in San Francisco.
My birth certificate has my father as unknown.
So does my half-sister’s.
Through genetic genealogy, we determined who he was.
He was a grain dealer who worked for a subsidiary of Nestle, which is based in Switzerland.
That explains why he had fathered me in California and my half-sister is in Switzerland.
“A close friend did one of those well-known AncestryDNA tests.
And the result was shocking, to say the least.
It showed that he had a half-sister.
But there was no way.
His father had been married for decades and swore to him that he had never been unfaithful.
My friend couldnt let it rest.
He went on a mission to figure out what was going on.
Was it a mistake by the DNA service?
Was his dad lying?
He had to find out.”
My mum didn’t know who this person was, but it seemed that this stranger knew her.
Eventually, this lady told her that they were half-sisters.
AncestryDNA has also shown that I am related to my mum’s half-sister.
So, after 79 years, her whole ancestry has changed.
“A good friend of mine had quite the shock.
At 70 years old and single, he found out that he actually had a child.
He met his daughter 50 years later when she did a DNA test.
My friends brother, coincidentally, had also taken a DNA test.
This is how she found her uncle and soon after, her biological father.
My single friend became a great-grandfather overnight and is delighted to have this new family in his life.”
Angela C.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
