In this episode of Finding Family DNA, Jay and Misty sit down with an adoptee who grew up in Texas feeling like the black sheep of her adoptive family, carrying hurtful stories about the birth mother she never knew. After asking to search and being told no, she quietly turned to DNA, only to wait 14 years for a meaningful match. Then a half sibling appeared overnight. Misty explains how she built the family trees on both sides, and our guest shares what it has been like reaching out to new siblings, the side-by-side photo that stopped her in her tracks, and a discovery about how close her birth family may have been all along. Jay and Misty also open with the Michael McDonald adoption story and why 23andMe is surfacing family secrets.

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https://youtu.be/cA7SNjtHLvo

Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:11 Welcome and the Michael McDonald Story

03:18 Introducing Denise

04:12 Growing Up the Black Sheep

07:33 Asking to Search and Testing DNA

09:02 A Half Brother Match After 14 Years

10:59 Finding BirthParentFinder

12:59 Midroll — RootsTech 2027 and BirthParentFinder

14:09 How Misty Connected Both Sides

15:35 The Half Brother Who Said Yes

17:17 Connecting With Her Father's Side

18:56 The Side-by-Side Photo

20:43 Same Town, Same High School

22:04 Wanting Her Mother's Story

23:11 Defending Her Birth Mother

24:51 Plans to Meet Her Siblings

25:42 Working With BirthParentFinder

28:24 Thanks and Close

BirthParentFinder: https://www.birthparentfinder.com/

RootsTech 2027: https://www.rootstech.org/

Michael McDonald story (CNN): https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/02/entertainment/michael-mcdonald-son-michael-goessling

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Finding Family DNA, Adoption, Adoptee, DNA Test, AncestryDNA, 23andMe, Birth Parents, Half Sibling, Genetic Genealogy, Closed Adoption, Family Reunion, Misty Gillis, Jay Rosenzweig, BirthParentFinder, Michael McDonald, RootsTech, Texas Adoption