GNZ GEN Z GEN Z.
HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED TAKING
ONE OF THOSE DNA TESTS?
DID YOU EVER STOP BECAUSE YOU
WERE AFRAID WHERE IT MIGHT LEAD?
YOU'RE NOT ALONE.
TODAY WE'RE TALKING DNA SECRETS.
ON OUR NEXT GUEST'S 56th
BIRTHDAY HER FOUR OLDER SIBLINGS
GAVE HER AN AT-HOME DNA TEST.
LITTLE DID THEY KNOW IT WOULD
CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER.
WATCH THIS.
>> I WAS THE YOUNGEST OF FIVE
CHILDREN.
I THINK I HAD A PRETTY HEALTHY,
NORMAL, PRETTY FUNCTIONAL
CHILDHOOD.
MY PARENTS WERE VERY FAMILY
ORIENTED, VERY COMMITTED TO
THEIR CHILDREN ANDED TO GIVING
US A SOLID START IN OUR LIVES.
MY FATHER HAD A VERY STRONG WORK
ETHIC AND HE TAUGHT THAT TO HIS
CHILDREN.
I'VE BEEN THE AMATEUR FAMILY
AGAINIOLOGIST FOR ABOUT -- I
STARTED 30 YEARS AGO.
I REALLY ENJOYED DOING RESEARCH
ON THE FAMILY.
I FOUND MY DAD'S SIDE OF THE
FAMILY WE'RE RELATED TO WYATT
EARP.
MY PSZ BROTHERS AND SISTERS CAME
TOGETHER TO GIVE ME THE DNA TEST
FOR ALL OF THEM.
I WAS VERY QUICK ABOUT GETTING
IT IN TO GET THE RESULTS BACK.
IT MATCHES YOU TO PEOPLE WHO
ALSO TESTED WITH THAT SAME
COMPANY SO YOU COULD SEE WHO YOU
SHARE DNA WITH.
IT WOULD SORT MATCHES BY WHO YOU
SHARE THE MOST WITH.
SEVERAL MONTHS LATER MY OLDEST
BROTHER DECIDED HE WAS GOING TO
TAKE THE TEST AS WELL.
HIS RESULTS CAME IN.
THERE WAS SOMEBODY ELSE I SHARED
MORE DNA WITH THAN I DID MY OWN
BROTHER, WHICH WAS VERY ODD TO
ME I SHARED MORE DNA WITH A
TOTAL STRANGER THAN I DO WITH
THE MAN I GREW UP WITH.
THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.
FROM THERE I REACHED OUT TO THE
DNA TESTING COMPANY.
AND THE WOMAN ON THE OTHER END
OF THIS CHAT IMMEDIATELY KNEW
WHAT SHE WAS LOOKING AT, AND SHE
TYPED BACK, THAT MEANS HE IS
YOUR HALF BROTHER.
I LOOKED AT THE SCREEN AND I
JUST BACKED UP.
THERE WAS THIS LONG AWKWARD
PAUSE.
I KNEW AT THAT MOMENT THAT WHAT
I WAS SEEING WAS NOT NATURAL,
WHICH MEANT I WAS ABOUT TO BLACK
OUT.
THIS PERSON I DIDN'T KNOW WAS
CLEARLY A PATERNAL MATCH.
>> WOW, WHAT KATHERINE FOUND OUT
FROM HER DNA TEST WAS THAT THE
MAN WHO RAISED HER WAS NOT HER
BIOLOGICAL FATHER.
SHE JOINS US NOW.
KATHERINE, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> THAT'S EMOTIONAL FOR YOU.
YOU'RE TEARING UP WHILE YOU
WATCH THAT?
>> YEAH.
FEELING THAT PAIN CAME BACK.
>> IT'S NOT -- IT'S INTERESTING
FOR PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT
FOR SOMEBODY WHO IS LIVING IT,
IT CAN BE KIND OF DEVASTATING IN
THE MOMENT.
>> OH, IT WAS.
IT WAS.
I FEEL LIKE I'VE COME A LONG WAY
IN THE PAST 15 MONTHS SINCE I
MADE MY DISCOVERY.
BUT GOING BACK AND RELIVING IT
BY WATCHING THIS RIGHT NOW
BROUGHT IT ALL BACK.
>> SO WHEN THE WOMAN SAID TO
YOU, THAT MEANS HE'S YOUR HALFS
THOUGHT WAS YOUR FULL BIOLOGICAL
BROTHER GROWING UP.
DID YOU REALIZE THAT'S WHEN IT
MEANT, HE WAS YOUR HALF BROTHER?
WHAT THAT MEANT ABOUT YOUR
PARENTS AND SO ON.
>> MY RESPECT FOR SCIENCE WAS
TELLING ME THIS WAS A FACT THAT
I NEEDED TO ACCEPT BUT MY HEART
WAS HAVING A REAL HARD TIME WITH
IT BECAUSE IT NEVER, EVER, EVER
OCCURRED TO ME THAT THIS COULD
EVEN BE POSSIBLE.
>> THEN YOU HAVE TO START TO
WONDER, LIKE, WELL, IS THIS
TRUE -- WHAT'S THE DEAL FOR ME
AND ALL MY SIBLINGS?
HOW DO WE ARE E TO ONE ANOTHER.
>> IT MADE ME QUESTION
EVERYTHING.
>> WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT, THEY
ARE ALL, FOR LACK OF A BETTER
WORD, FULL BIOLOGICAL SIBLINGS,
AND YOU ARE THE ONE THAT IS A
HALF TO THEM.
>> OF MY FOUR SIBLINGS I GREW UP
WITH, THREE OF THEM TESTED SO
FAR.
THEY HAVE CONFIRMED THEY ARE
FULL SIBLINGS AND THEY SHARE DNA
WITH OUR DAD'S SIDE OF THE
FAMILY.
I'M THE ODD ONE OUT.
>> YOU DON'T.
>> I DON'T.
>> WERE YOUR PARENTS ALIVE WHEN
YOU GOT THAT RESULT?
>> NO, THEY HAD BEEN PASSED AWAY
YEARS BEFORE.
>> SO NOW YOU HAVE TO BECOME A
DETECTIVE.
>> YES.
>> TO FIGURE OUT, WHAT'S THE
STORY THERE.
>> YES.
>> SO WHAT DID YOU DO?
>> THE FIRST THING I DID WAS TRY
TO DETERMINE WHO THIS FIRST
PERSON WAS I SHARED THE MOST DNA
WITH.
SO I REACHED OUT THROUGH E-MAIL
TO THIS PERSON.
FORTUNATELY FOR ME SHE RESPONDED
IMMEDIATELY.
AND BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, WE
DID OUR OWN DIGGING AROUND AND
ASKING QUESTIONS AND FIGURED OUT
THAT MY MOTHER WORKED FOR HER
DAD FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME
BACK IN 1960.
AND SHE SAID I'M CERTAIN I'M
YOUR HALF SISTER.
>> SO YOU AND SHE ARE HALF
SISTERS THROUGH YOUR FATHER.
>> THROUGH MY BIOLOGICAL FATHER.
>> ITALY YOUR BIOLOGICAL FATHER,
NOT THE MAN WHO RAISED YOU.
>> EXACTLY.
>> IS THERE A REASON SHE WAS
MORE RELATED TO YOU ON THE DNA
TEST THAN YOUR BROTHER?
THEY ARE BOTH HALF SIBLINGS?
>> THERE'S AN AVERAGE RATING ON
HOW THEY DETERMINE WHO HALF
SIBLINGS ARE VERSUS WHO WHOLE
SIBLINGS ARE.
SHE WAS WITHIN THAT RANGE, SHE
JUST HAPPENED TO SHARE A LITTLE
MORE DNA THAN MY BROTHER DID.
>> SO NOW YOU'RE SITTING THERE
SAYING, I'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE
>> YES.
>> I'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT
HOW MY MOM KNEW
CATHERINE ST. CLAIR HAS RELISHED
RESEARCHING HER FAMILY'S
GENEALOGY.
IN 2016 SHE FOUND OUT WITH THE
HELP OF A DNA TEST THE FATHER
WHO RAISED HER WAS NOT ACTUALLY
HER BIOLOGICAL DAD.
CATHERINE TURNED TO SOCIAL MEDIA
FOR HELP FROM OTHERS WHO MIGHT
BE GOING SOMEWHERE SIMILAR.
SHE FOUND DNA NPE FRIENDS, AN
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT GROUP ON
FACEBOOK FOR THOSE NOT PARENT
EXPECTED.
WELCOME BACK, CATHERINE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> CAN I ASK YOU, WAS THERE EVER
ANY SIGN GROWING UP YOUR DAD WAS
NOT YOUR BIOLOGICAL DAD.
>> NONE AT ALL.
>> NO CLUES.
>> NONE.
>> WHEN YOU HOOKED UP WITH THE
WOMAN WHO HAPPENED TO BE YOUR
HALF SISTER, WHAT DID YOU LEARN
ABOUT YOUR BIOLOGICAL DAD?
>> I LEARNED HE WAS IN THE SAME
TOWN WE GREW UP IN ALL THOSE
YEARS.
WE NEVER CROSSED PATHS.
TWA US A SMALL TOWN.
AND THIS HE HAD A DAUGHTER FROM
HIS FIRST MARRIAGE AND A
DAUGHTER FROM HIS SECOND
MARRIAGE.
THAT'S WHEN I LEARNED ABOUT MY
SECOND SISTER I DIDN'T KNOW I
HAD.
>> DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING ABOUT
HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR MOM?
>> NO.
>> SO TO THIS MOMENT WE HAVE NO
IDEA HOW IT HAPPENED.
WE KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, YOU DON'T
KNOW THE STORY.
>> I DO NOT KNOW THE EXTENT OF
ANY RELATIONSHIP THEY MAY OR MAY
NOT HAVE HAD.
>> SHE WORKED IN HIS STORE.
>> YES.
>> WHAT KIND OF STORE WAS IT?
>> IT WAS LIKE A GIFT SHOP.
>> SO IT'S A MYSTERY YOU'RE NOT
GOING TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE.
>> I'LL NEVER KNOW.
I'M GOING TO HAVE TO ACCEPT I'LL
NOT HAVE ANSWERS I'D LIKE TO
HAVE.
>> THE SUPPORT GROUP, PEOPLE SAY
WHY DO YOU NEED A SUPPORT GROUP?
IT'S SHOCKING, JARRING, SEEING
THE TEARS IN YOUYOUR EYES WHEN
RAN THAT PIECE, IT'S DEEPER THAN
THAT.
>> IT'S A TRAUMA.
I WOKE UP AND DECIDED I'M GOING
TO CREATE A SUPPORT GROUP.
INSTEAD I HAD BEEN ON FACEBOOK
AND A PROMINENT RADIO
PERSONALITY HAS A PAGE AND
POSTED ON THERE, DNA TESTS ARE
REALLY INTERESTING, WHAT HAVE
YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR DNA TEST.
I WENT, I LEARNED MY DAD WAS NOT
MY BIOLOGICAL FATHER.
I WALKED AWAY AND I HEARD A
NOTIFICATION ON MY PHONE
SOMEBODY WAS SENDING ME A TEXT.
I THOUGHT IT WAS ONE OF MY
FRIENDS.
IT WAS A WOMAN I NEVER HEARD
FROM BEFORE.
IT WAS ONE SENTENCE, OH, MY GOD,
I THOUGHT I WAS THE OM ONE.
WE TEXTED FOR THREE HOURS
STRAIGHT.
WE CRIED, SHARED OUR
FRUSTRATIONS, OUR FEAR.
WE VALIDATED EACH OTHER.
WE VALIDATED OUR FEELINGS.
WE FOUND OUT WE WEREN'T CRAZY,
WEREN'T FREAKS.
AT THE END OF THAT THREE HOURS I
SAID TO HER, NOTHING HAS CHANGED
FOR ME, NOTHING HAS CHANGED FOR
YOU, BUT I FEEL BETTER.
JUST TALKING TO YOU, I FEEL
BETTER.
LATER SHE TOLD ME THAT WHILE WE
WERE TEXTING DURING THAT
THREE-HOUR PERIOD, EVERY TIME
SHE WOULD TYPE SOMETHING TO ME,
HER HEART WOULD POUND HARD IN
HER CHEST AND SHE WOULD SAY,
PLEASE, GOD, LET HER RESPOND
AGAIN.
I'VE GOT TO TALK TO THIS WOMAN.
WE LEARNED FAST WE WERE HELPING
EACH OTHER EVEN THOUGH NOTHING
CHANGED.
I SAID MAYBE WE CAN FIND FOUR OR
FIVE PEOPLE LIKE US, THEY WOULD
HELP US FEEL BETTER AND WE COULD
HELP THEM.
IT WAS PURELY SELFISH
MOTIVATION.
>> HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE GROUP
NOW?
>> WE'RE PUSHING 3,000.
>> WOW.
DO YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP NOW
WITH YOUR HALF SISTERS?
>> I HAVE AN AMAZING
RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.
WE ARE -- I KNOW WE'RE PROBABLY
IN THE HONEYMOON STAGE.
WE LOVE EACH OTHER.
I GOT TO MEET BOTH OF THEM.
WE SPENT SOME TIME TOGETHER FOR
MY ELDEST SISTERS BIRTHDAY.
>> THEY LOOK A LITTLE LIKE YOU.
>> WHEN I WALKED INTO THE
RESTAURANT AND RAY ETTA WHO IS
ON THE LEFT, THE HAIR ON THE
BACK OF MY NECK STOOD UP BECAUSE
I WAS LOOKING INTO MY EYES.
I HAVE AN UNUSUAL COLOR OF EYES
AND SHE HAS MY EYES.
>> DID YOU EVER GROWING UP LOOK
INTO YOUR PARENTS' EYES AND
>> MINE NEVER MATCHED MY PARENTS
OR SIBLING BUT I THOUGHT THAT
WAS MY SPECIAL THING.
>> JUST SPEAKING ABOUT IT, EVEN