Imagine spending years tracking down a man who might not even know you exist. That’s what TikToker Emma-Lee (@ermrgrtrns) did. She is the product of a one-night stand that took place in the summer of 1980.
At the age of seven, her mother told her that her current dad was not her biological father. Back then, she didn’t have any interest in learning about her biological dad, but when she was 19, she decided she was finally ready to know more.
It turned out that her mom actually didn’t know anything about him. So, she directed Emma-Lee to a friend of hers who had a slightly better memory of Emma-Lee’s biological dad.
Apparently, his last name might’ve started with an L, and his last known location was up north in Canada.
“That led me on probably a 5-year Nancy Drew journey looking for my bio dad,” Emma-Lee said. “And he was not very present online. I think I first made contact in 2010.”
Long story short, Emma-Lee and her mom called him up one day. He and his wife were both uncomfortable with the situation. He said that he would reach out through Facebook, but he never did.
Later on, Emma-Lee had a baby and sent him a message on Facebook, saying that she was never looking for a new dad and just wanted to know a little bit about who she came from. He didn’t respond.
She messaged him again after having another kid and told him that she was interested in medical history. He replied this time and gave her a bunch of family medical history. He even sent her a photo.
She suggested that they do a DNA test to make sure that he really was her biological father, which caused him to go radio silent again for about a year. Finally, she reached out again, and he told her that it was all very overwhelming. He never responded to her after that.
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In 2020, she got a message from a DNA testing site. Her half-brother had messaged her and lived only seven minutes away. They ended up tracking down their biological dad through Emma-Lee’s half-brother’s family. They exchanged emails and kept in touch with him for a couple of years.
Recently, Emma-Lee and her half-brother received an email from their biological dad, saying that he would be passing through their city and asking if they wanted to meet up. She definitely is not expecting much from their meetup since he has already proven to be a disappointment.
In the comments section, several TikTok users described their own experiences of discovering family members they didn’t know existed.
“My mom never knew who her father was. Finally, after years, a match popped up on 23andMe, a young man who was probably a second cousin. He reached out, curious about the connection. We explained the search, and he replied a few days later that his family was not interested in pursuing,” shared one user.
“My older half-brother went on this journey to see his dad. He has like 17 half-siblings. His dad was quite the womanizer. His father never wanted to meet him, and sadly, he died before they could ever have a relationship,” commented another.
“I found my first cousin on 23 and me. When we met, I felt an instant connection, and she looks like my uncle. He never knew about her. She is awesome, and I am so grateful to have her in my life,” added a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
