42 Years after Being Adopted, Man Who Never Knew His Bio-Family Took a DNA Test to Find Them

A man who knew he was an adopted child shies away from finding his bio-family but takes a DNA test 42 years later to track them down.

For nearly 42 years after being adopted, a man braved himself to take a DNA test and track the bio-family he’d never heard of or seen before.

For the most part, Redditor ktnorth knew he was given up for closed adoption 42 years ago. He never looked back to exploring his bio-family until one day when his partner brought him an AncestryDNA kit, aka the gateway to unraveling some shocking mysteries about his family tree.

The Original Poster (OP)’s adoptive parents were never shy about letting him know that he was their adopted child. Luckily, they even gave him a thumbs up to locate his biological family if he wanted. But OP wasn’t interested as he was happy with his life and family.

His wife once asked him if he was curious to know more about his biological roots. He told her he was not interested and was satisfied with his life the way it was. However, he changed his mind about a year and a half later after divorcing her.

The Redditor’s new girlfriend was too interested in ancestry. Out of curiosity, she bought him a test kit from AncestryDNA.

OP was quite doubtful about the accuracy of these kits and vaguely assumed they’d only expose his ethnic origins and nothing beyond that.

An hour into their conversation, OP discovered a few shocking details about his bio-family.

He took the tests and awaited the results, assuming what would turn up. The results arrived, and it clearly showed what he’d expected—ethnic background and a list of distant relatives.

After rummaging through the results, OP was still unmoved as the “distant cousins” part seemed doubtful. He thought the results could be fabricated and that anyone could be a distant cousin that way. OP ignored it, stating he still wasn’t interested in tracking anyone.

However, he was shocked after getting a message on Facebook from a woman claiming they were “connected as close family” on AncestryDNA.

The woman said she was skeptical of their relationship. OP was confused, too, and after putting his response on hold for a couple of days, he decided to reply that he had no bio-history due to being an adopted child.

The woman then told him about her sister who put her son up for adoption. OP was feeling lost and out of words. Deep inside, he was hounded by the question—“Could this be a real connection?”

OP felt awkward and hesitantly told the woman he was busy when she said she wanted to talk to him in detail. He put off the matter for a few days, but the curious woman didn’t stop reaching out to him.

After being constantly contacted by the woman, OP scheduled to talk to her on a Thursday. He called her for the sake of it as he didn’t want to hurt someone who was probably trying to fill the emptiness in their life.

An hour into their conversation, OP discovered a few shocking details about his bio-family. He found out that he had two brothers and a sister, and his aunts, uncles, and first cousins lived near him. He was shocked, considering he lived four hours away from his place of birth.

The conversation with the woman opened a new gateway for OP to cherish his long-lost relations. He eventually scheduled dates to meet up with his younger sister and a first cousin. OP was thrilled but claimed the news of his mother’s passing didn’t bother him.

OP’s mother had passed away over a decade ago, but he stated he was thrilled about reconnecting with his long-lost family.

Posting to Reddit’s “Adoption” sub, he narrated his experience and amassed overwhelming responses from people who were thrilled too.

“Congrats! It is so cool to see similarities, both physical and personality-wise,” wrote Redditor ocd_adoptee, adding:

“Just a heads up, plan to give yourself some down/alone time afterward as reunion can sometimes be a lot to process.”

Meanwhile, a few others recounted similar experiences of how ancestry kits helped them reunite with their long-lost bio-families.

“I did ancestry, and I met my bio parents a couple of weeks ago...The man my adoptive parents chose as my godfather turned out to be my bio-great uncle,” recounted user Punkie1976.

OP promised an update on what happens next after meeting up with his family and, after a dramatic wait, came up with a sweet surprise for his readers.

“Had the most amazing day today. I was able to meet my sister and brother,” he stated.

The three spent the whole afternoon telling stories, and OP claimed he was so thrilled to have them in his life.

“Now we will be busy creating new memories and stories to tell...I can’t wait to be with them again,” he concluded.

Questions to Ponder:

How would you react if you learned through a DNA test that you had a close relative you never knew about?

OP was initially surprised to learn about his bio-family but hesitant to make contact with them. But when he finally took the courage to meet his siblings, he was happy he did. Would you do the same and learn more about your bio-family, or would you rather keep that part of your life away from you?

Would OP have found his long-lost bio-family if it hadn’t been for the DNA test?

OP said he vaguely took the DNA test after his girlfriend insisted he take one. Later, he received a message on social media from a woman who claimed they were connected as close family members. However, it’s uncertain if he would’ve reconnected with his long-lost family without opting for the DNA test.

If you liked this story, here’s how a father is shattered after the DNA test he took on his birthday reveals his two kids are not his.

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