While keeping curious about personal genetic information, there may be unexpected results…
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Editor’s note: In recent years, genetic testing has formed a craze. Through genetic testing, you can not only understand your genetic risks, variability and traits, but also information about nutritional needs, drug reactions, exercise and fitness, skin management and even ethnic origin, genetic relationship distribution and ancestral information. However, through genetic testing, you may also find unexpected surprises that you have not known. The original title of this article is When the DNA Test Reveals Too Much, author Dana G Smith introduced the various unexpected discoveries after genetic testing in the United States.
Image source: Guido Mieth/Getty Images
The “initiator” of all this is the unintentional search that time.
Lynn Scott’s husband has been raised by his adoptive parents since he was born. After the death of her husband, Scott wanted to help their son find a blood relative grandparent. So Scott and his son tried the most popular genetic tests.
They spit saliva into a saliva collection tube and then sent the tube back to the Family Tree Genetics Company (FamilyTreeDNA). Through the genetic relationship match, Family Tree found a cousin for them and eventually found the son’s biological grandfather.
However, in addition to the cousin, the family tree also found several other matching relationships for them, but they are not the ones on the father’s side. Scott did not know them, and eventually confirmed that they were not part of the matriarchal side.
“I think, all the cousins I know, but the genetic relationship matches the few, I really don’t know.” Scott said, “So, after a comprehensive analysis, I think there must be Something I don’t know.”
Scott’s brother also did genetic testing before, but he chose the AncestryDNA genetic testing company. So, their family tried to find out by comparing these test results. They found that Scott and her brother are actually halfCell (that is, a child born to a half-brother or a half-brother).
Afterwards, it was discovered that the man who raised Scott’s adulthood (who died in 2003) was not her biological father. This result, for her, is awkward. “This news gives me the feeling that I have lost my own biological father again,” Scott said.
By further digging out various genetic results, Scott found the person she thought was her biological father, who was a colleague of her mother. But her mother refused to admit it.
The man died in 1999. Therefore, Scott could not meet him, but she found the grandson of that person and hoped to meet a half-brother in the short term.
Scott began to accept her new family tree, but at the beginning, she was really tangled. “When I first discovered this result, I felt very lonely.” She said, “Who should this kind of thing say to? Who else has a similar experience with me?”
The results of a previous web survey confirmed that there was something similar to Scott’s experience.
On the Internet, Scott joined an online mutual help group. The group was founded by genetic counselor Brianne Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick focuses on helping people who discover unexpected family secrets through self-test genetic testing.
“When I learned that I was not alone, and I heard how others accepted these facts, I was more comfortable inside,” Scott said.
The ethnic lineage. Image source: FamilyTreeDNA
Since 2005, Kirkpatrick has been a genetic consultant. The reason why I am interested in genetics is entirely due to my personal hobbies. Kirkpatrick’s experience in this field is becoming more and more abundant, and many other genealogists are looking for her help. I hope to analyze some difficult cases from her professional experience and perspective.
In 2016, Kirkpatrick set up his own private business to help people understand and deal with unexpected situations discovered based on genetic testing.
In most cases, these unexpected situations are “unexpected parental events.” In these cases, it may be because the child is adopted, but I don’t know this fact since I was young.