When TikToker Megan (@meganaker) was 18 years old, she found out that the man who raised her wasn’t her biological father. Now, she is 35 years old and is embarking on a journey to uncover the branches of her family tree.
About a year ago, she decided to take a DNA test. The results did not show any close relatives. A few months ago, she took an ancestry test and found no close relatives again.
After doing some research, she came across a nonprofit organization that helps people find their biological parents. So, she reached out to them and opened a case.
Her case was assigned to a researcher. By the next day, the researcher had tracked down a pair of brothers and determined that one of them might be Megan’s biological dad.
Unfortunately, one of them had passed away in January of last year. The other one was still alive. Megan reached out to him through social media, but he didn’t respond. She contacted his son instead and asked him to take a DNA test.
“From the get-go, he was willing to help in any way possible,” said Megan. “He seemed very intrigued, just like me, to find out if I was a sibling or a cousin or whatever the case.”
Megan also asked her mother if she had had any relations with either of the brothers. Her mother said no. When the son got his DNA results back, he discovered that the man who raised him was also not his biological father.
He ended up finding his biological dad. Meanwhile, Megan was still at a loss as to who her biological dad was.
Since then, she has learned that the brother who is still living has another sibling, but she is currently incarcerated, so Megan won’t be able to get her DNA test anytime soon.
As for the deceased brother, the researcher originally found that he did not have any children. However, the son of the living brother informed Megan that the deceased brother did have two children who were still alive.
“So, that will be my next step,” said Megan. “If the potential father who is alive does not want to test, then I can go to the two children of the one who is deceased to see if they show as siblings or if they show as cousins. Since there are only two brothers involved, being one or the other, we should be able to find out fairly easily.”
Ultimately, Megan hopes to fill in the missing pieces of her story. The search has proven to be more difficult and complex than she had expected, but she is optimistic that each new connection will bring her one step closer to finally learning about where she comes from.
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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
