Nothing Lit Up on Her Father’s Side

Want more Corey and Kendall? Join us on Patreon for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus show with personal stories, behind-the-scenes conversations, family chaos and plenty we would not normally share on Family Twist. Join us: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours What if a family photo made your friends ask the question no one in your family had ever answered? Ashley grew up surrounded by fighting, police visits and what she came to call her family’s “quarterly crisis.” She learned to hide her emotions, protect the adults around her and question her own memories whenever the family’s public version of events did not match what she had experienced. It took leaving home and beginning therapy for Ashley to recognize how unhealthy the family system had been. Years later, while Ashley and her husband were facing infertility and pregnancy loss, friends noticed how little she resembled her family and asked whether she had ever taken a DNA test. Her Ancestry results connected her to relatives throughout her mother’s family tree, but nothing appeared on the side belonging to the father who raised her. Additional tests confirmed that it was not a mistake, and the aunt Ashley had been warned to avoid responded to her questions almost immediately. In Part 1, Ashley tells Kendall how her NPE discovery changed what she believed about the man who raised her, why the timing made her missing medical history especially frightening and how becoming a mother gave her search a new urgency. When several search groups told Ashley she would have to wait for better DNA matches, Search Squad found a name, address, email address and phone number within 24 hours. Listen to Part 1 to hear how Ashley escaped one family system and found herself on the verge of contacting a father who might not even know she existed. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Want more Corey and Kendall? Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show. Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early! Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours