Episode 48: Sandy Corbari; Finding Family After Six Decades of Questions

Send us Fan Mail A passport application shouldn’t rewrite your life, but that’s exactly where Sandy Corbari’s adoption story starts. When she requests her records and opens a live birth certificate, she gets a name, a birthplace, and a new set of questions she can’t unsee. Years later, one spontaneous search turns up an obituary, two half-brothers, and a message that comes back fast: “You’re my sister. I’ve been looking for you for 10 years.” We talk through the full adoptee journey, from growing up on an Oregon farm to chasing hard things for fun through marathons, triathlons, and adventure races. Sandy also shares the practical side of big life pivots, including leaving mill work for a long career in wealth management, and why taking a short-term pay cut can open long-term stability. Then the search accelerates with social media research, a key phone call with “Auntie Trish,” and the decision to use Ancestry DNA testing to fill in the blanks. The biggest twist comes when the DNA results show a 50% match and point to Alaska, connecting Sandy to the Hess family and to Duck, who joins us to tell his side of the shock, responsibility, and joy of learning he has another daughter. We also get into the real-life emotions people don’t always say out loud: loyalty to adoptive parents, fear of hurting them, the role spouses play as anchors, and how to let new relationships form without forcing them. If you care about adoption reunion stories, DNA genealogy, identity, and family connection, this conversation will stay with you. Subscribe to Doug Has Questions, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review telling us: what part of your own story are you still searching for? ----- On October 23, 2021, Sandy and Duck connected for the first time—and they haven't stopped celebrating since! Sending so much love and congratulations to everyone involved! During this Interview, Sandy refers to another podcast that helped her through her journey to find her birth father.  Visit them at: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adoption-the-making-of-me-an-oral-history-of-adoptee-stories/id1565403354 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcLPEzBpQdjq0c6Ne86Nh4Q Thank you for liking and subscribing to all of Doug Has Questions  Visit Doug Has Questions Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580983432868 Visit Doug Has Question Instagram Page https://www.instagram.com/doughasquestions Visit Doug Has Questions YouTube Pagehttp://youtube.com/@doughasquestions