Sex, Lies & The Truth

Da Rhonda shares her incredible story of a childhood as one of three children with parents who were closely biologically related and not able to be the parents they should have been, resulting in more than just an MPE. Despite her struggles, Da Rhonda displays resilience and hope, a true inspiration. Episode warning: If you lived a chaotic and abusive childhood, this episode may be triggering or may be hard to hear.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence in the United States, the National Domestic Violence Hotline advocates are available at 1-800-799-SAFE and through online chatting at www.TheHotline.org.

If you or someone you know is interested in sharing their story on the show, contact us at [email protected].

Like many MPE’s Laura felt different, never quite feeling she fit into the family. And that was just the beginning of a strange and difficult journey, leading to a heartwarming ending. Laura’s adoption story was not so much told to her as something she sought out for herself, using her intuition to search for clues and follow leads. Starting with intense studying of her adoption paperwork, Laura astutely put together the facts on the forms didn’t make sense. And those early days spent studying in the closet ultimately paid off.

When we last left Damon, he had just decided to search for his biological father. He thought it would be as straight forward as finding Ann, but not much in the MPE, adoption world is straight forward. Just how many DNA tests does one person have to take to find a parent anyway?

In this episode we meet Damon Davis, the former Director for the Health Data Initiative in the office of the Chief Technology Officer under the United States Department of Health & Human Services. Since holding that position, Damon has also added author and hosts the podcast Who Am I Really?, sharing adoption stories and attempts at reunion, like his own.
Damon’s story of adoption was so impactful we decided to tell it in two parts.

In a rare treat, we get to share an interview with a biological parent. It's rare for many reasons, but this is special because it's Allie's biological mother (previous episode). You'll get to hear another side of this amazing story, equally as elegant and heart-warming as Allie's story.