DNA Surprises

When someone uncovers a DNA surprise, their family tree changes. That sounds simple, but the reality is that our roots, so many of the things that make us, us, come from generations before us. In this week’s episode Melissa shares her profound journey after discovering that the man who raised her is not her biological father.

From uncovering clues in her late grandmother's writings to learning about her biological father's tumultuous past and building new relationships with half-siblings, Melissa delves into the complex emotions and revelations that emerged along the way. Through her genealogical research, Melissa connects with her ancestral roots, understanding more about her family's history and the legacies that shape her identity.

Thank you for sharing your story, Melissa.

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Welcome to the season 10 finale of DNA Surprises. Buy one, get two. No, this isn’t an ad for the latest testing kit sale. In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Dave and Denise, a married couple who discovered that they were both NPEs after their grandson took a DNA test.

Before you listen to this episode, I want to take a moment to remind listeners that family secrets like these don’t stay hidden in the modern age of DNA testing, and Dave and Denise are a great example of this. They didn’t uncover their surprises because they took a test. Even their grown children wouldn’t have surfaced the secret. It was their curious grandson with a love of genealogy and heritage who led to the truth. For both of them.

Thanks to Dave and Denise for sharing their stories.

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Welcome to season 2 of DNA Surprises! In this week’s episode, we’ll hear Gretchen’s NPE story.

Like many of our stories, Gretchen’s DNA surprise includes many people, and it can be difficult to understand the roles of everyone involved, so before we begin I want to give some background.

Before her DNA surprise, Gretchen believed she was the youngest of 3 children. It turns out that Gretchen’s biological father had two children before her - he had a daughter, Barbara, in his first marriage. Then he had her brother, Jimmy, in his second marriage. He abandoned both families and had an affair with Gretchen’s mother, which is how Gretchen came to be. After his relationship with Gretchen’s mom ended, Gretchen’s mother returned to her birth certificate father while pregnant with her.

Gretchen’s father remarried and had two more children. He is still with his third wife today. While all of the children involved know about each other, his third wife does not. Gretchen and her two older siblings remain secrets. Gretchen’s story is painful and complicated. She speaks about how she always felt different and how she feels knowing the truth.
Thanks to Gretchen for sharing her story.

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Welcome to the season 1 finale of DNA Surprises. In this week’s episode, I am going to share my story. In July, I found out that I am an NPE. I was completely blindsided by not only that discovery but a massive shift in racial identity. I’m going to discuss what my discovery was like and how I’ve processed what happened. I’ll also talk about what has helped me heal so far.

Thank you for listening to my story.

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While a DNA surprise can be a painful and traumatic experience, some NPEs are able to find a silver lining through beautiful new relationships. In this week's episode Rose shares her journey from feeling disconnected from her raised family to establishing a connection with her biological father.
Thanks to Rose for sharing her story.

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