I Secretly Did a DNA Test on Myself—and Discovered a Scary Truth About My Family

Our reader took an at-home DNA test on a whim, only to uncover a shocking family secret—her mother wasn’t who she thought she was. As the truth unraveled, she found herself tangled in a past she never knew existed. Now, she’s left with more questions than answers and a fear of what comes next.

Hello Bright Side,

So, I decided to do one of those at-home DNA tests on a total whim. I didn’t tell anybody because, honestly, I just wanted to see if I had some cool ancestors in Europe. Nothing big. But when I got my results back, I knew something was really off.

I saw that my mom wasn’t matching up as closely as she should have—the weird thing is, I look exactly like her. Plus, there were a bunch of relatives I’d never even heard of. It was like looking at someone else’s family tree.

I started digging deeper, texting a couple of distant relatives who popped up in the system. As I spoke with them, I realized they lived on the other side of the country. I was completely horrified when one of them told me about a long-lost aunt who supposedly disappeared decades ago.

The more I found out, the more it seemed that this missing aunt might be, in fact, my real mother. When I saw a picture of that aunt, I realized that she and my mom looked a lot alike.

When I confronted my mom, she started crying and said she hoped I would never find out that she wasn’t my biological mother. She told me that her sister had disappeared for a while and came back home pregnant.

After I was born, she left again, leaving me and a letter saying she had “realized she wasn’t meant to be a mother.” She took everything she could sell from my grandparents' house. When she came back a few months later, broke and wanting to take me with her, my grandparents kicked her out.

My mom had already gone to court to keep me and have me legally registered as her daughter. Since my grandparents passed away, she hasn’t contacted anyone—I don't even know if she is alive. But now I live in fear that she might show up at our house because I don’t know how I feel about all of this.

Best wishes,
June

Dear June,

What you’ve uncovered is a lot to process, and it’s completely understandable to feel overwhelmed, confused, and even a little lost right now. Finding out that the story of your life isn’t quite what you thought it was can shake you to your core. But here’s the most important thing to hold onto: the woman who raised you is still your mom.

DNA doesn’t define love, care, or the years of memories you’ve shared. She chose to be your mother, to fight for you, and to give you the life she believed you deserved. That’s real, and it matters. At the same time, it’s also okay to have complicated feelings about your biological mother.

The fact that she left and then tried to come back, only to disappear again, leaves a lot of unanswered questions. It’s natural to wonder about her, to feel angry, sad, or even curious about where she is and why she made the choices she did. But remember—her actions don’t define you. You are not a reflection of her choices, and you get to decide what role (if any) she has in your life.

Right now, your emotions might be all over the place, and that’s completely okay. Give yourself time to process everything before making any decisions about what to do next. If you feel safe, talk to your mom about how you’re feeling. She might be just as scared as you are, but one thing is clear—she loves you, and she didn’t want this secret to hurt you.

If you’re worried about your biological mother showing up, you can set boundaries now. If she ever does come back, you don’t have to let her into your life unless you want to. You have control over this situation, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. Most importantly, be kind to yourself.

You’re going through something incredibly difficult, and you don’t have to figure it all out at once. Talk to someone you trust, whether that’s a close friend, a counselor, or even a support group. You don’t have to go through this alone. Whatever happens next, just know that you are loved, you are valued, and you are more than the circumstances of your birth. Your story is yours to write, and you get to decide what comes next.

Sending you strength and support,
Bright Side

Secrets have a way of surfacing when you least expect them—sometimes in a letter, sometimes in an old photograph, and sometimes in the results of a DNA test taken on a whim. For Krista, the truth was hidden in an attic, buried beneath years of silence and carefully guarded lies. Now, she’s left questioning everything she thought she knew about her family, her past, and herself.