Man finds his biological family after 50 years
By Julian Paras
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — Last February, Daryl Perez took a 23andMe test to find out more about himself and his biological family.
“I was adopted. Don’t know anything about my biological family, so I figured it’d be great,” Daryl said. “Let me get a 23andMe.”
But for many years, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to take the test. His wife, Amy, who gifted him the test kit, said, “He had been on the fence about doing this for a few years, and in February, he asked for it on Valentine’s Day.”
After two weeks, he got the results back and noticed a last name “Hankerson.” It’s a name he says matched with one man living in El Paso, Texas.
“I look at his DNA and we share like 23% DNA and go ‘this has got to be somebody I know. It has to be,'” Daryl said.
As it turned out, that man was Daryl’s brother. From there, he was able to have a phone call with his biological brother and found out he has a sister as well.
“I did not get anything done at work that day,” Daryl said. “I stayed my emotions were through the roof. Talk to both of them back and forth all day long.”
In addition, Daryl found out his biological mother is still alive and well living in El Paso, Texas after all this time.
“I never got a chance to be a good kid,” Daryl said. “And now I feel like finally getting my chance to show my mom that this is me.”
Since then, he says this whole experience has been a full circle moment and how he could live his life now if he hadn’t taken that 23andMe test.
“He’s a different person,” Amy said. “He’s a better person. I saw his whole demeanor change as soon as he met his family.”
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