Before we begin this week’s episode, we have a content warning. There are multiple references to child abuse, including sexual abuse, in this story.
When some people experience DNA surprises, the initial shock and grief just scratch the surface of the emotions that arise. In this week’s episode, Caroline shares how she discovered that her birth certificate father is not her biological father.
This discovery brought up memories and emotions that she’d pushed to the back of her mind long ago. Caroline discusses how she’s processing this new information and building a connection with her newfound family. She also shares why she’s glad that she shares her DNA with her biological father instead of her BCF.
Thanks to Caroline for sharing her story.
Join the DNA Surprises Patreon community!
This transcript was generated automatically. Its accuracy may vary.
Speaker 1
Hi, it's Alexis from DNA Surprises.
Whether you're new to the DNA Surprise community or you've been here a while, I hope you're enjoying the podcast and finding stories that you connect to.
When I started DNA Surprises in 2022, I just wanted to connect with people like me and help others feel less alone.
Since then, we've created an amazing community.
People who understand the shock of uncovering family secrets after taking a DNA test, I'm excited to share that I recently launched A Patreon community for listeners of the podcast, which is $5 per month, will get access to episodes one week early, exclusive, behind the scenes content from me, and more.
If DNA Surprises has helped you navigate your journey, I hope you'll consider becoming ADNA Surprise friend.
Speaker 2
You can join the community.
At patreon.com/dna Surprises.
Thank
Speaker 3
There's just so much sadness which when I listen.
Speaker 4
To other other episodes.
And you know, it's nice to.
Hear where I hear other.
Npes say, well, that's my dad and he'll always be my dad talking about their birth certificate father and that.
Their childhood was good.
And so sometimes it's.
Good that they found out then.
Sometimes it's sad for them, but for me, having so much trauma growing up, it's.
Really.
Been hard for me.
It's bringing it all up, the trauma of my childhood.
Which I have.
Chosen to just push way down and ignore.
Because I just.
Wish it could have been him and it could have been different.
Imagine spitting into a tube.
Sending off your DNA and unknowingly turning your life upside down For me and thousands of others, this is our reality.
I'm your host, Alexis Auerselt.
In July of 2021, I discovered that I'm an N P/E, someone who has experienced a non paternal event.
In other words, my biological father isn't who I thought he was.
This podcast shares the journeys of people who are shocked by a DNA discovery, mostly through modern DNA testing.
We're telling the stories of N P/E's adoptees and donorconceived people and their families.
Before
we begin this week's episode, we have a content warning.
There are multiple references to child abuse, including sexual abuse, in this story.
When some people experience DNA surprises, the initial shock and grief just scratched the surface of the emotions that can arise.
In this week's episode, Caroline shares how she discovered that her birth certificate father is not her biological father.
This discovery brought up memories and emotions that she pushed to the back of her mind long ago.
Caroline discusses how she's processing this new information.
And building connection with her newfound family, she also shares why she's glad that she shares her DNA with her biological father instead of her BCF.
Thank you for sharing your story, Caroline.
My name is Caroline and I am from Northern California and I am.
58 years old.
My DNA surprise story started in 2015 when my daughter and her husband decided to do an ancestry DNA test and they also tested.
My granddaughter.
And so I decided to jump in.
I wanted to do it too, and we all got our results and everything looked normal.
At that time, Ancestry hadn't updated their regions as much, so I was pretty much all Western European, and that didn't have me question anything as my mom.
Is.
A Swiss, Italian and Scottish.
My father was 100% Italian, from a city close to Naples.
So it was, you know, kind of boring and.
We thought it was cool, but no big surprises.
And so I moved on and in 2018.
Three years later, I logged.
In just to play around with my family tree and I saw that I had a pretty high match for a first to second cousin.
That I didn't recognize the name at all and.
So I started looking.
In my matches and I couldn't find any Italian names except from my mom's side.
And so I had sent out an e-mail and said, hey, how do we know each other?
And it was older man.
I think he said he was in his 80s and he asked me a bunch of names I didn't recognize.
None of them are Italian and we both kind of said, well, we'll just kind of keep an eye on it.
And I just left it again.
I was working full time.
Then in 2022 May, I was retired and I decided I was going to go in there and really build my family tree and I.
Did I got really far?
On my birth.
Certificate father side.
As he was.
A first generation Italian I.
Was able to trace all of his relatives.
Back to the same city in Composo, Italy, and it went really fast and I started working on my mom's side and then again I looked at my DNA matches.
But I had that.
Cousin.
And I asked him again.
I said, hey, his name is Jim.
And I said Jim.
Any luck on any names?
And I gave him some more names on my mom's side that were not Swiss Italian and he said no and he started going down some names again and he.
Said.
Well, what about this?
Name, and I said it was kind of a familiar name, but it's funny, Alexis, because my husband's first.
Wife.
Her maiden name was that last name and I kind of laughed and thought, you know how funny there was number connection, but I thought that was funny.
So as I worked with.
Him.
I looked at my other DNA match and I saw a half sibling that was.
A.
25% DNA match, which was higher than my granddaughter, but with that same last name that he had mentioned.
And it was like 1737 sent to Morgan's.
And I sent out an e-mail and said, you know, do I know you?
But then I looked and he hadn't logged in in over a year.
They went back.
To the older.
Gentleman Jim and I asked him and somehow.
As we were.
Talking he he gave me some names and it.
Clipped.
That my mom had a family friend with that last name and that first name that.
She had always talked about.
And she even talked about him in the 1990s because he was in law enforcement.
And my stepfather, they had gone and asked him for a favor because my stepfather needed to get back to.
Work.
It was in the gaming industry and he was able to help my mom get my.
Stepfather back to work, So about.
Two weeks later, another.
What looked like 1/2 brother showed up.
But it just had a handle, and the handle was my hometown where I grew up.
Which was a big city, so I reached out to.
Him and said, hey, I have this match and it looks like I matched with their brother and matched with you.
Was your father-in-law enforcement and the city I grew up in And he said yeah, and he was.
Very guarded.
And I said, well, I'm looking at this and it looks.
Like your father.
Might be my birth father.
And he said, Oh no, I'm not getting involved in all this crap.
And he said you'll never get a hold of my brother.
He won't ever log in again.
He doesn't want anything to do with this And so we just kept emailing back and forth and.
We started to.
Exchange pictures and I said, do you see a resemblance?
And everything was no, no, no, I don't see any resemblance.
And.
So then.
I said, Well, will you?
Take another test like let's do 23andMe and I.
Uploaded us to Jed.
Match and he he went on the Jed match and he started to believing that when he saw.
Especially the results.
On Jed match that everything was 1/2.
I think it was.
Highlighted in yellow.
He said, Wow, I.
Think you might be my sister?
And he asked for my mom had worked.
And it was also a.
Place where his brother, his older brother.
And his father and his.
Older brother's wife.
Had a big connection to this place and he.
Said Well, this has to be.
We had the same results on 23andMe.
So he he accepted.
It and then he.
Started, We started.
Emailing daily and he's told me I don't think that my father could have ever known because that's not who my dad was.
My dad wasn't someone that.
Would ever step.
Out of my mom, I don't know if.
This was a love affair.
Or one night stand.
But he just.
Started saying they're my sister and.
Since that time it I found out in July of 2022, he's emailed me.
Every day he's very sweet.
He's totally accepted.
Me.
He's reached out to my other half brother who still doesn't want anything.
To do with it.
And there's.
Still.
Connected in the town I grew up in.
So for him it's 3.
Shameful because his parents had the ultimate love story.
Of 52 years together as we were.
Talking, I found a couple of the NPE sites on Facebook and they immediately gave me a search Angel and the search Angel contacted me, but what I?
Didn't tell her is that?
I had already done a.
Proxy tree.
And I had filled it in with my birth father's name.
And up to his grandparents.
Because that's as far as I could get.
And then the DNA matches started coming up and.
There were all these Greek.
Names and it was.
Very, very Greek.
And I had thought I was 3/4 Italian.
So the search Angel got.
Back to me and she said no, Caroline, I.
I looked at your tree.
You're not an NPE.
That is your dad.
And I said.
Oh well, that's a proxy.
Tree and she said.
Oh, OK, well, and she had color-coded.
Everything on all my DNA matches showing me.
That that was the.
DNA match and that that was my birth father, but unfortunately my.
Birth father, his wife.
And my mother had all passed away, and my birth father died in 1998.
My birth certificate father in 1983 and my mother in 2007.
I also had a brother.
Which I guess would now be 1/2.
Brother who passed.
Away in 1990 of AIDS.
And so I was, and my mom was the only child.
So when I started seeing at the beginning all these cousins popping up, it's like that's really not possible because none of them had Italian names and I wouldn't have any first cousins because my mom was the only child they had that RNA.
Factor.
Where they had one child and then.
My grandmother just kept miscarrying so but when I was born, my mom was 31 and my birth.
Certificate father was 44.
And I looked back through records and I.
Saw that?
When my birth certificate father and my mother got married, which I hadn't known till I went on Ancestry was six weeks after my older brother was born.
He.
Was six years older than.
My.
Birth certificate father was.
Very, very abusive, especially to my older brother.
Because he was gay.
But I thought and he was only £5 and he was very sickly when he was born, but then looking at my information at the time I was.
Conceived which would have.
Been around the third week of April 19.
63 because I was.
Born in January of 1960.
4.
My mom had been married to my birth.
Certificate father for about 6 years and my birth father.
Had been married to his one and only wife for about 18 years and his oldest son was 18 at the time I was born, and the second brother came nine years later, so there's nine years between.
The two of.
Them both older than me, but he came nine years later.
And then?
He was 42.
My birth father when I was born, from everything I can see about him and talking to my.
Half brother there's.
No evidence that he knew that.
They believed that or that.
He believes that he knew.
Because he said his.
Father would never have not done something or said something.
Growing up, did you have any indication?
Did you ever feel like?
You didn't fit in or anything like that.
The only thing I remember, because my dad was very violent, had a very terrible temper, He was 44 when I was born, all his family that came to.
Visit was.
From New York and very dark and olive skin and hairy and.
I was very light.
Skinned I'd light hair.
When I look back now at pictures, to me it looks.
A lot more obvious.
But I.
Also questioned my brother because my brother didn't look at dark Italian either, like a southern Italian.
He had light brown hair and we had lighter skin.
So I just remember I used to dye my hair black when I became a teenager because you know, I was living what I thought was threequarter Italian and we had been Catholic.
My parents weren't married long, they.
They.
Divorced when I was 7, so once that happened, things got even worse for me because.
Literally right after the divorce.
My mom moved in, but I later found out was a married man with two children that sexually abused, emotionally abused me, and physically abused my brother and then my dad.
Had been married.
I think he was on his 10th wife when he passed away.
Yeah.
So when I first found out, I was like.
I just kept thinking this.
Has to be my dad.
And you know how when you're in.
Shock.
Like you just can't.
See it?
I just couldn't see it.
And I'm like, well, how did my dad get that person's wife pregnant without him, you know?
And I'm just like, going into all these different places, not seeing.
What the truth was and I.
Remember after the stepfather, whatever.
You want to call him because he was married at the time, but he did.
Live with us, he.
Kind of went back and forth.
A couple of things took out that my mom said when I asked her.
Well.
Why did you divorce?
My dad, she said that he was impotent, so I kind of thought about that when I found out like.
Did she?
Hook up with a friend.
You know, to have a baby.
Another baby was my brother, even his.
But I had been told I had a half sister from my birth certificate.
Father that he had fathered.
When he was in the military.
World War Two era.
And I had met her once, but I don't know if.
If that was true.
Right.
Like if she was.
Even actually his.
Exactly so.
I I don't know.
I do know that.
It was.
Pretty bad when my dad.
Was there because there were.
Times it was just silly things, Alexis.
Like I don't.
I might have been 5:00 or so, but he worked nights and I went into the bedroom.
I don't even know where my mom was.
And I was saying, you know, Johnny won't let me play.
With the Legos.
I want to play.
Like I'm whining, I'm waking him up and he.
Grabbed a ski.
Pull And I just watched him beat the living hill out of my brother.
And like I could still.
See like.
Blood going on the wall.
I'm so sorry.
I loved my brother so much.
And then another time he was in my mom's makeup and he.
Would play with dolls.
And he beat him again, you know, for putting on.
I think he was putting on mascara.
So pretty much after that before my dad.
Left I just learned never.
I just wouldn't talk to him and I wouldn't tell.
And I think that's part of when the stepfather came.
I didn't tell for a very long time.
And even when I did tell, my mom didn't believe me and never did.
Believe me, and even as I got to be an adult, I just remember her saying because they would come to my house and I had small children and I finally.
You guys can't be.
Around my children, I had a son and a daughter and he molested me, whether you believe it or not.
And I told my grandpa.
Who was?
Alive at the time and.
She said, Well, what do you?
Want me to do just be alone?
And that was her response to.
Eight years of sexual abuse.
And neglect by my mother.
I'm so sorry that that happened to you.
As as you're.
Dealing with all of this information and figuring out what happens with your DNA surprise and then looking back on your childhood and and kind of making these connections were.
You ever able to?
Get answers as to what happened, given that everyone involved has since passed.
No, only the.
I just remember hearing his name all the time growing up.
The birth father's name, that was her friend and and he.
Was a cop.
And then that finally clicked for me.
But I know they were still friends in the 90s because when she told me, they went to see him.
To help my stepfather.
Get back to work.
Because my.
Stepfather was a real.
Piece of work and had stolen and done all these things through the years that made it impossible for him to go back to.
So he helped.
Them get what he needed.
For a card so he could go back to.
Work, and he did.
Go back to work that.
Was in the 1990s.
Which was?
It's kind of one of those synchronicity things because.
I was also a cop.
And I think back like.
If I could have just.
Known.
I would have loved to.
Have met him.
Because he was also.
A United States Marine and I joined the Marines.
For some reason, I became a cop.
His name was John Thomas and I named my son Thomas John.
Oh my goodness.
Yeah, it.
I just.
I mean, I.
Don't know if.
We look for synchronicities, but.
And the nature versus nurture?
But I thought.
That was really interesting looking back.
It is really interesting.
Has your brother, your newfound brother that you connected with, shared all of this information?
Like, is that how you've learned so much about him?
Yes, I learned, uh, through my new brother about what a wonderful man, wonderful kind man that he was.
Wonderful father and.
Husband.
He had been drafted during World War.
2.
Sent to Iwo Jima and.
He was a hero, he.
Received 2 battlefield commissions.
He went to Arizona State on a.
Scholarship.
Because he was.
Amazing athlete and he was going to go to the Olympics, but the war broke out and.
My birth.
Certificate father was just the.
8th grade he only.
Graduated the 8th grade.
And it just kind of connected to me because I've always been much more studious and.
Quiet, but I thought.
That it was interesting that I did become a Marine and police officer not knowing.
That that was the road.
Birth certificate father had taken.
Have you?
Spent anytime with those what?
Ifs like what if?
He'd known about you and in some world had been involved in raising you.
Oh yes, because I worked through each Sturgis's book.
Who?
Even am I anymore and.
There's a part like what your.
Fantasy family would be and.
I always.
Do that and it's.
Very hard because.
He was such a wonderful man, I had to call my.
Stepfather who's still alive to.
Ask him and I found out if he knew and he's not a truthful person.
I don't know if he lied to me, I would.
Figure he would lie to.
And he said no.
But what a great man he was and how everybody loved him and the town that we lived in and.
Because my childhood was so awful, I do do.
The what ifs you know, what if he would have known?
What if I could have met him, you know?
And then the adult part of me kicks in and says, well, I sure would not have wanted to.
Break up what turned out to be a 52.
Year old year marriage.
But I sure wish I could.
And I just think about that, like, even.
When I was the police.
Officer, I did dare, which was the dare to?
Keep kids off drugs and he's he started that in the city I was born in and I thought.
How cool that would be if if I could.
Have met him at some training or some of it, but I wouldn't have known one thing that.
Has been a big positive.
For me is knowing that I am blood.
Related to a very.
Kind and wonderful man.
And the half brother is kind of wonderful.
As well he always.
Tells me I'm thinking of.
You and just know that I love you.
We haven't met yet, but he has been so supportive and loving sent.
Me lots of pictures, so.
I much prefer to come from his bloodline than.
My birth certificate father.
Growing up, it just was.
Awful I.
Once my father left and that man came, I was neglected.
But my mother?
She was always at.
She worked nights, my brother was off partying and I literally, I was just alone all the time and.
If the stepfather.
Wasn't there abusing me?
I was home alone because he went back and.
Forth to his wife.
And two children.
It was just such a.
Lonely upbringing.
We moved a lot.
I never really learned.
To.
Develop like friendships.
Because once my dad left, he just moved on to other wives and they had children and we didn't matter.
Like the few.
Times I saw him, he would just give me money and say.
Well, don't tell whatever wife he was with at that.
Time and then wow.
Pretty, pretty.
Soon I didn't see him anymore.
But my mother.
I can't wrap my head around her right now because I know.
I hear all the.
Mp's saying you know, about the narcissistic mother and I'm like, well, was?
She was.
She was she.
And as.
I go through all of this.
She definitely had to be.
I was diagnosed with.
Breast cancer in 2000.
And my mother was still.
Alive.
And that would have been a great opportunity because I called and asked.
Her if we had breast.
Cancer on my dad.
'S side because.
He wasn't alive.
I had no one to ask or on my mom's side and she just said no, not that I know of and I.
Feel that if she.
Said my father.
My birth certificate father was impotent.
That she had to know that I was not his child and she had to see something.
And me growing up.
And another time after my my brother died of AIDS, right in the AIDS epidemic.
He was one of the first.
Cases after he had passed.
My mom came to visit me by.
Herself.
Because I didn't.
Want her husband around me or my children?
And she was ranting at me and she looked me right in the face and said if one of my children had to die, I.
Wish it would have.
Been you?
Oh my God.
It sure so much Alexis and.
You know, I've talked it.
Over even with my.
Adult daughter.
And my husband and their elbow, She didn't mean that, but for her to say something like that.
And then I just thought back to my.
Childhood, like that relationship with my stepfather, is all.
That's all that meant to her.
I didn't matter, She.
Tried to commit suicide when I was 16 and then she blamed me and my brother because he had gone back.
To his wife or?
Something.
And so she got put on a hold.
And you know, it was mostly my fault and I don't even know why I was just alone all the time or going to school.
I mean, you've been through so much.
I mean, even beyond.
The DNA surprise, What have you been doing?
To work through it.
You mentioned Eve's workbook, which I all link in the show notes.
I thought I was doing.
OK, like I've I've heard other MP say, I just.
Kind of was in denial then, I.
Put it aside for a.
While and I said it really doesn't matter.
Because it just.
Brought up so much trauma.
So when Eve got the book.
Out.
I got that, and it's up to about what.
Journaling.
I did get put on antidepressant and some anxiety medication and then I am going to start seeing a counselor.
The way my insurance works, it's it's taken a little.
While but I'll have.
An appointment which I plan, I'm really sticking to, but I think the NPE stuff, it's been a positive.
Because I have felt so.
Alone for so long, even before my mother passed away.
That I do have blood out.
There so it.
Is a positive in that way.
It's just getting it's.
Just brought up all the.
Trauma from the childhood of everything that happened.
How I feel.
About my mother angry with.
Her.
Like beyond angry with her?
Get into counseling for trauma.
But at the.
End of the day.
There are days where.
I just say I'm happy that that was my.
My father.
I'm happy.
That he was.
The one that his blood runs through my veins and not my birth certificate, father.
So it's almost been a positive in that way because I now have a new wonderful 1/2 brother.
I have blood out there that I connect to, and I'm Greek.
So.
Have you found any ways to connect?
To your Greek heritage.
I have.
I started doing some cooking.
Um, it's funny because I did tell my children and my son looked through my family tree and he's all mom.
If your dad or your.
Grandpa was 100%.
Greek you get.
Dual citizenship in Greece, So.
If you ever want to.
Move to Greece.
So that was really sweet.
And then he told me that's.
Why we love Greek foods.
So much because.
Both of us, the first time we had Greek food was like, Oh my God, it's the food of the gods.
Like, where's this been all our?
Life and you know and we.
Just thought that was.
Funny looking back and I've listened to Greek music and it does feel like it's in my bones and.
It's funny because a couple places I.
Worked.
One of my sergeants was pure Italian when I was a police.
Officer.
And I told him, well, I'm 3/4 and he's like, no way.
You don't even look Italian.
You're not.
Hairy enough you're.
All my sisters are all.
Hairy all over each.
He goes, you can't be all Italian.
And my husband has always.
Said I think you're Greek, I think you're Greek.
Even before I found this out, because the way my eyes look, so that's all been good, that's all been fun connecting to that my daughter.
It was hard.
Telling her she's 30.
Uh gosh.
38 Now I But she's just a real feminist and she's like.
Whatever.
He was just a.
Sperm donor, it doesn't matter.
And I was like, wow.
And then I.
Got a lot of the.
It doesn't change anything.
You're.
Still who you are.
But as we know, it changes everything.
It really.
Does.
Now you've mentioned that one of your newfound brothers is not open to getting to know you.
How have you been navigating that, given that you know one brother has been extremely open and shared so much with you, and then one has not?
What do you make of that?
I think their ages, Alexis, because I'm older, I'm 58.
The brother I've gotten so close to is 66 and then the.
Oldest brother is 70.
Two so.
I think there could be.
Some generational.
Like he thinks that's shameful.
And in the beginning on the NPE.
Groups, They're like well.
Reach out to him anyway, you don't have to listen.
To the other brother.
Because he told me, just let me take it from here.
Because he.
Cannot be a nice person and I don't want him to hurt you and I got some feedback.
That said, well, you should reach.
Out anyway, but I trust my new brother, I think because he.
The brother that doesn't want anything to do with me and his son are still politically connected.
It's a big name in the.
City I grew up with still.
And because they've been so.
Active that he.
Doesn't want that dirty.
Little secret out that.
His dad was not the perfect 52 year marriage.
A father of two boys, war hero.
Decorated police officer.
He was a police officer for 46 years.
I don't know if it's a generation thing or a personality thing.
Of course, you know, I looked on Facebook because not Facebook, on the Internet.
Because he's all over the.
Internet this son that doesn't want anything to do with me and his son and we.
Look a lot alike, like I look more.
Like him Than the brother.
I'm close.
To especially our faces, our eyes.
You know I do.
Think about.
I wish that.
I could meet him or talk to him and the brother I'm.
Close to has said he has shared pictures.
Of me with him, and he has talked to him about me and told them what a wonderful person I am and that.
He just kind of goes.
Oh, well, that's interesting.
But he was interested in looking at the pictures of me and that.
The brother I'm close to said Maybe just give it time and help come around and I guess.
He had also.
Had some hardships in his life recently when I found this out, and maybe it wasn't the best time to be springing it, but his reputation and his father's reputation are definitely more important in the town that.
We all grew up in.
Than to have this come out.
Not that I would go parading down the street, right?
No, but I I understand, yeah, it can be very delicate.
Yes, because I would never and he's and I have never reached out to him and I don't.
Think I will, I think.
I'm just going to leave it and if at some point.
He chooses to make any contact.
Then I would be open.
What do you hope for in the?
Future I hope to work through therapy.
And leave the trauma and peace behind, but take on my new phone brother, because I do have blood out there and I have felt such an orphan for so long.
That just in itself makes me feel good.
And that I could focus more on the positives and know that I can't change what happened in the past.
I've heard other people say.
That on your podcast because?
We.
Have that looking?
Back but it.
Can't change anything.
I can't change that.
They've all passed on and I can't talk to them.
I can't change what happened to me as a.
Kid but I.
Can change my?
Future to be positive?
And have a beautiful relationship with my new brother.
That's a beautiful perspective.
So I went into all the trauma and how alone and sad I was growing up.
But I want to say, and it's funny because you're so young, you probably don't remember.
But.
Ring my Mr. Rogers would come on and I would sit.
I'm not.
Sure.
But thank you.
Well, I would.
Sit there and watch him.
And that was my dad growing up.
He was my dad and I just loved him.
And I would look at him and I just pretended he was my dad and he was the best.
Dad ever.
That's beautiful.
Or.
Maybe a little.
Teary.
Because I I did, honestly, even though I I was raised by a wonderful dad, I never had grandfathers growing up.
And so I always found, you know, older like grandpa aged men on TV.
And I'd always be like, that's my grandpa.
Sweet.
So you know exactly what I'm talking about.
What advice do you have?
For a parent who may be keeping a DNA surprise from their child's.
Please don't.
And especially in this day and age that they're eventually going to find out someone's going to upload something somewhere, and the betrayal and the hurt and the regrets is too much that please, please.
Don't keep the secret.
It's up to each parent to decide.
When the right time would.
Be but please.
Do it as soon as possible and let them know.
Their full history, especially even the medical.
History because for me that.
Was a big deal.
And I think.
We just like that.
Group right to know.
We all have a right?
To know where we biologically come from.
And what advice do you have for someone who just uncovered a DNA surprise?
My biggest advice is to go slow because it's so.
Shocking because I just kind of bumbled into.
It with the 1st.
And then looking at that name and going, Hey, was your dad in law enforcement?
Like all in a metal matter of hours?
And it was way too.
Fast.
I think when you first find out, at least give yourself a month.
To just sit with it.
And absorb everything.
That's just my opinion.
Before.
Reaching out because you're so raw and like my brain wasn't working it.
I didn't understand what it all meant and I.
Wish I would have just.
Taken the time to move.
A lot more slowly and get into counseling right away because things will start coming up that you haven't felt and maybe decades and it's really important to.
Have the support there because.
People that aren't NP.
E's or that don't.
Specialize in trauma.
They don't mean it, but they really don't understand and they can say some silly things and crazy things that are more hurtful and not even realize.
It so just go slow.
And take your time.
Well, Caroline.
Thank you so much for coming on the podcast and being so open about your journey.
I'm so glad.
That you were able to.
Find your dad and learn more about him and that he's a wonderful man and that you've been able to connect with your newfound brother in such a special way.
And I hope that relationship continues to grow.
Thank you Alexis.
Thank you for.
Having me and for.
What you do?
Thanks again to Caroline for sharing her story.
If you have a DNA surprise story that you'd like to share.
Please e-mail dnasuprises@gmail.com until next time.
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