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In the past, it was extraordinarily difficult for individuals who were unaware of the identity of one or both of their parents to uncover this information. Adopted individuals would need to access sealed court records. Those from single-parent households required the cooperation of the known parent. For individuals without either resource, discovery seemed impossible. Children conceived from donor gametes were often kept in the dark due to fears of rejection of their non-biological parents. …

Reclaiming Identity: Stories of Discovery in the DNA EraRead More

Heidi Billingsley Keuper This month’s first Volunteer of the Month is Heidi Billingsley Keuper!  Heidi has bee a volunteer with DNAngels for 2 years this September! She is currently a case manager, assistant HR person, and someone who always has a sympathetic ear. Since day one, our Heidi Boo has been impressing and charming people with her skills and her Southern “Je ne sais quoi”. Jennifer Scweibinz says, “Working with Heidi is always a positive experience! When cases were slow, …

Volunteers of the month August 2023Read More

Who is that girl I seeStaring straight back at me?When will my reflection showWho I am inside?Christina Aguilera - Reflection Genetic mirroring refers to the ability to recognize physical similarities between oneself and family members due to shared DNA. This often anchors us to our cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. Such similarities might be expressed as, “I have my father's eyes” or “I look just like Aunt Mary.” Experiencing a Non-Parental Event (NPE) can drastically reshape …

Who am I Now?Read More

By our very nature, most people want to be helpful. The inclination to be helpful stems from several sources. Human beings are social creatures, and from an evolutionary perspective, those who helped and cooperated stood a better chance of surviving when humanity was in its infancy.    There is a certain satisfaction in knowing that you’ve helped someone in need, people will often describe it as a warm fuzzy feeling you get from helping someone else, but it is really your brain …

What Not To SayRead More

The revelation of non-parental event (NPE) can be a profound and emotionally challenging experience for individuals involved. To understand the emotions involved with this, a general understanding of what an NPE is required. An NPE refers to an occurrence that affects an individual’s genetic inheritance. Various situations can result in someone being an NPE which include adoption, sperm or egg donation, unknown paternity, or when a presumed birth father is not. This also includes infants …

Navigating an Emotional Journey: Coping with the Discovery of Non-Parental EventRead More

This month’s Volunteer of the Month is our newest Angel, Brenda Gudino! Brenda started as a research assistant, and when Laura put out the call to form a specially trained team to work cases with roots in Mexico and Puerto Rico, Brenda stepped up to become the first Angel on the team. Laura says, “Brenda has been such a gift to the DNAngels team. She specializes in the cases that most other search angels run from. She never hesitates to say yes when asked to take on a super hard case with lots …

Volunteer of the Month – July 2023Read More