BEING BURNED.
THE FAMILY PUPPY WAS ALSO
RESCUED FROM THE BURNING
BUILDING.
YOU HAVE SEEN THE ADS, DNA
TESTING COMPANIES URGING PEOPLE
TO TAKE A SCIENTIFIC LOOK AT
WHERE THEY CAME FROM.
FOR MANY PEOPLE WHO GOT DNA
TESTING KITS DURING THE
HOLIDAYS, THE RESULTS ARE
STARTING TO COME IN.
ROD CARTER IS HERE TO EXPLAIN
WHY SOME FOLKS MAY BE IN FOR A
SURPRISE.
THESE THINGS ARE A BIG DEAL.
I READ SOMETHING LIKE 12
MILLION PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN THE
DNA TESTS. I GOT MY WIFE ONE.
DON'T BE SCARED, BUT BE
FOREWARNED.
A LOT OF PEOPLE GO LOOKING FOR
ANSWERS ABOUT THEIR HERITAGE,
AND SOME PEOPLE ARE ADOPTEES
AND TRYING TO FIND THEIR BIRTH
PARENTS, AND BIRTHPARENTS
TRYING TO FIND THEIR CHILDREN,
BUT FOR OTHERS, THE RESULTS
REALLY ARE NOT EXACTLY WHAT
THEY EXPECTED.
IN FACT, SOME RESULTS TELL DEEP
SECRETS THAT HAVE BEEN HELD FOR
YEARS.
Reporter: DNA TESTING IS ALL
THE RAGE FOR FAMILY BACKGROUND
AND HEALTH ANSWERS AND FAMILY
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I TOOK AN
AFRICAN ANCESTRY DNA TEST TO
DETERMINE WHERE MY FAMILY WAS
FRIEND BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF
SLAVERY.
WE FOUND OUT MY PATERNAL -- MY
MATERNAL LINES ARE IN CAMEROON.
I TOLD PRODUCER NANCY RYAN
ABOUT THE TEST.
SHE DECIDED TO TAKE ONE OF HER
OWN TO CONFIRM HER OWN SCOTTISH
HERITAGE.
I SAID TO MY BROTHERS AND
SISTERS, HOW ABOUT IF I TAKE
ONE AND THEY WILL SEE HOW MUCH
YOUR DAD'S 100% SCOTTISH COMES
OUT, WHAT IF IT'S SOMETHING
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT?
THE MAN WHO RAISED ME WASN'T
REALLY MY FATHER.
IT WAS DEVASTATING.
IT WAS A TREMENDOUS LOSS, IT
WAS LIKE HE DIED AGAIN.
I LOVED HIM.
Reporter: WHAT HAPPENED TO
NANCY HAPPENS A LOT.
PEOPLE TAKE THE TEST AND WAIT
WEEKS FOR THE RESULTS AND
REALIZE THE ANSWER ISN'T ALWAYS
BLACK AND WHITE. I THOUGHT,
THIS HAS TO BE IT, I HAVE TO BE
A DESCENDENT OF THIS MAN.
PUT MAC HE TRACED HIS FATHER'S
LINE HUNDREDS OF YEARS BACK
USING THE TRADITIONAL GENEALOGY
METHODS.
HE TOOK A DNA TEST TO CONFIRM
IT. IT WAS A SHOCK.
Reporter: SHOCK BECAUSE THE
RESULTS SHOWED HIS GRANDFATHER
WAS NOT HIS FATHER'S BIOLOGICAL
DAD.
MY DAD WAS LUCKY.
THERE WAS A MAN THERE FROM THE
MOMENT HE WAS BORN THAT WAS
THERE AND RAISED THEM ALL
THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE.
THAT WASN'T HIS BIOLOGICAL
FATHER.
DID HE KNOW?
I DON'T KNOW. Reporter: CAN
YOU TRUST THE RESULTS OF DNA
TESTING COMPANIES?
THERE ARE QUITE A FEW. THEY
ARE VERY POPULAR.
Reporter: THIS MAN SAYS
PEOPLE DOING THESE TESTS NEED
TO USE TRADITIONAL RESEARCH AS
WELL.
PEOPLE DOING IT, IT'S THE
HOT COOL THING TO DO RIGHT NOW,
IT GETS PEOPLE INTERESTED AND
TALKING ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES,
BUT THE HARD WORK, THE WORK
THAT WILL TAKE SOME TIME IS THE
TRADITIONAL RESEARCH.
Reporter: I DECIDED TO TAKE
ANOTHER TEST, THIS ONE FROM
ANCESTRY.COM.
I WILL COMPARE THE RESULTS WITH
THAT TEST TO THE ONE I TOOK A
FEW YEARS AGO AND KEEP DOING
THE TRADITIONAL RESEARCH.
I WAS LOST A LITTLE BIT.
I FIRST THOUGHT THERE HAD TO BE
A MISTAKE.
Reporter: IN THE MEANTIME,
PEOPLE LIKE NANCY AND DAN ARE
EMOTIONALLY COMING TO TERMS
WITH LEARNING WHO THEY ARE IS
NOT WHO THEY THOUGHT THEY
WERE. IT WAS DEVASTATING
BECAUSE I HAD DONE A LOT OF
RESEARCH ON THAT LINE, A LOT.
IT FLEXIBLY TOOK A BIG BITE
OUT OF YOUR LIFE.
Reporter: THAT IS A GREAT
WAY TO PUT IT.
IT IS TOUGH WHEN THESE THINGS
COME BACK AND PEOPLE HELD ONTO
THE SECRETS FOR YEARS.
THEY LEARN THE TRUTH SIMPLY
THROUGH DNA.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE WHAT
THAT TRUTH IS.
THAT IS WHEN THE REAL JOURNEY
BEGINS FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
IT IS SHOCKING.
YOU HAVE TAKEN MORE TESTS.
I SAW YOU PUTTING IT IN THE
MAIL. I DID NOT GET THE
RESULTS BACK JUST YET.
I GOT AN EMAIL YESTERDAY SAYING
THAT THEY ARE BACKLOGGED AND IT
WILL TAKE A LITTLE MORE TIME.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE DOING THIS.
PROBABLY FROM THE HOLIDAYS.