This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org. Cassandra Adams, a stay-at-home mom, artist, and advocate from New Jersey, was always interested in learning more about her heritage. “I loved genealogy from a very young age and was always asking questions about our family history, cultures, and language,” Adams said. “I was the family historian — my Italian grandfather would pull me aside to tell me all his stories.”
In 2017, when she took an at-home DNA test as part of a volunteer research study, she was shocked at the unexpected results. Instead of the usual paternal mix of British, Dutch and French, her results came back half Italian, as expected on her mother’s side, but also half Ashkenazi Jewish. She confronted her mother that day and discovered she was conceived via anonymous sperm donation. Her world forever changed. “I was able to find my biological father very quickly, through my DNA match and clues my mother had, even though he was anonymous and there were no records kept,” she shares in her story for Right To Know. This organization supports people impacted by surprise DNA discoveries, genetic identity issues, and misattributed parenting experiences.
““Most people do not realiz …