DNA Surprises

Not many of us experience our DNA surprises on television, but this week’s guest did exactly that. Patrice is a foundling adoptee, adopted at just a few months old after being abandoned in a garbage bin. She always knew she was adopted, but as an adult, she decided she wanted to look for her biological family.

The TLC show Long Lost Family shows her finding her biological sister, but much more happened behind the scenes. She shares what happened when she reunited with her biological mother and how it changed her perspective on her story. 

She also discusses how she’s used her experiences to advocate and provide support for her community.

Thank you for sharing your story, Patrice.

Resources:

Adoptee Prayer Collective 

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Welcome to a bonus episode of DNA Surprises. Michael Paul first joined me in Season 2, shortly after his discovery. In this bonus episode, Michael shares an update on what's happened in his life since we last spoke. He shares his journey of discovering the importance of self-care and setting boundaries after a DNA surprise.
He also discusses his evolving relationship with his bio dad and the challenges he faces, along with the positive changes he's made in his life, such as changing his last name and pursuing his career passions. This is a shorter version of our conversation - if you'd like to hear the episode in its entirety, join me over on Patreon at Patreon.com/DNASurprises.

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If you’re familiar with other DNA surprise podcasts, this week’s guest needs no introduction. And if you aren’t allow me to introduce you to Lily Wood, host of NPE Stories. Lily started NPE Stories after experiencing her own NPE in 2019. She is a strong presence in our community, a bonafide truth-teller, and I call her one of the OGs in this space. 

She joined me to talk about her DNA surprise and how it has affected her life. Lily offers a vulnerable and transparent look at what happens when the relationships in our lives aren’t what we hoped to be, and how we can create our own families where there is none. 

Thank you, Lily, for sharing your story.

Resources:

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Something we unfortunately hear too often in our community is that NPEs were treated differently as children. In this week’s story, Nina shares how her DNA surprise explained why her mother treated her poorly her entire life. 

She also discusses how her newfound connections are going and how she is working to accept that she may never find answers. 

Thank you for sharing your story, Nina.

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This week’s DNA surprise story is told from a side we haven’t heard from yet - a found father. When Gerard received an email from a man claiming to be his son, he wasn’t sure what to think. He soon discovered that unbeknownst to him, he was the father of a 30-something-year-old man who had been adopted as an infant.

Gerard shares how he pieced together who the mother of his son was and how he reconnected with her. He also discusses how supportive his wife and daughters have been as he builds a relationship with his son.

Gerard’s story is one that many in the DNA surprise community hope for - he’s accepting, open, and seeks to understand how to best fit into his son’s life.

Thank you for sharing your story, Gerard.

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What is more shocking than one NPE discovery? Two NPE discoveries. In this week’s episode, Pam shares how she spent 20 years believing that her biological father wasn’t her “dad,"  but another man with whom she had a strained relationship.

Imagine her surprise when, after the invention of commercial DNA tests, she uncovered another truth - that her biological father was someone else entirely.

Pam shares how differently she handled her first NPE versus her second, and why she’s chosen to make peace with her discoveries instead of feeling angry about them. 

Thank you Pam, for sharing your story.

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When Michelle took her DNA test, she wasn’t looking for her own biological father. In fact, she hoped to answer some questions about her mother’s NPE. You can imagine her shock when she discovered that her mother wasn’t the only NPE - Michelle was too. She also learned that her biological father is a man she fondly remembered from her childhood.

Michelle discusses how her DNA surprise has affected her and her family, as well as how she is building a relationship with her biological father after all these years. She also shares how, long before she knew about her own NPE, she knew it was important to disclose to her son that the man who raised him is not his biological father. 

Thank you for sharing your story, Michelle.

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DNA tests. NPE. Donor conception. Politics. In this week’s episode of DNA Surprises, I’m joined by Eric, who learned that he was donor-conceived after taking a 23andMe test.

He shares why he decided to take the test, why he waited three years before doing anything with his surprising results, and how his discovery impacted his relationship with his parents. He also shares how he has connected with his newfound siblings and the larger DCP community.
Towards the end of the episode, Eric provides us with a quick history lesson on the origins of donor conception, so be sure to listen.

Thanks to Eric for sharing his story.
Resources:

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Welcome to Season 6 of DNA Surprises. We’re kicking off this season with a quadruple DNA surprise story as told by triplets.

Rikki, Julianne, and Kendall are donor-conceived triplets who were separated at birth. Rikki was raised by her biological mother and who she believed was her biological father. Jules and Kendall were raised together by their adoptive parents.

Rikki knew about her sisters but didn’t know she was donor-conceived until after her dad died. Meanwhile, Julianne and Kendall knew they were donor-conceived, but didn’t know about Rikki until they were older.

In this episode, they share how they connected with each other and built a relationship. Rikki discusses her determination to learn more about their donor and what happened as a result.

We also chat about how complicated all of this is - adoption, donor conception, and DNA surprises, and why it’s important to allow space for every individual to own their feelings.

Rikki, Jules, and Kendall share their story in depth on Season 1 of their podcast, Luke Who Is Your Father. Their next season shares other stories, including mine. You can find Luke Who Is Your Father on all streaming platforms.

Thank you to the Luke Who Is Your Father ladies for sharing your story.

You can find more about Luke Who Is Your Father at www.lukewhoisyourfather.com.

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Welcome to the Season 5 finale of DNA Surprises. 

In this week’s episode, Josie shares a DNA surprise that doesn’t come as the result of a test she took, but of her own revelation well into her twenties. She always knew that she was donor conceived and raised by a single mother, but it wasn’t until she had her son that she wanted to find her sperm donor.

Josie shares why she wanted to seek out her donor and what she hopes to gain from their future relationship. Her story ends on a cliffhanger - listen to the end of the episode for an update directly from her.

Thanks to Josie for sharing her story.
Resources:
www.dnangels.org
https://donorconceivedcommunity.org/

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