Finding My Biological Father

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A single DNA match can turn a lifetime of questions into one hard choice: do I really want to know the truth? I’m Gary Wise, a Navy veteran and high school NJROTC teacher, and I’m continuing my adoption journey with the part that shook me most, finding my biological father after reconnecting with my biological mother.

After years of searching, I learn there are two possible fathers, and one possibility forces me to confront fears about identity, character, and what it means to come from a complicated past. I talk openly about faith, how I grew up with LDS beliefs about pre-existence, and how those ideas made adoption feel like a spiritual puzzle I could never quite solve. I also connect the dots between adoption, feeling different, and why becoming a dad made genetics, bonding, and “nature vs nurture” feel real in a way textbooks never could.

Then the breakthrough hits: a Painter surname in my DNA results, a trail of family names, and a cold call to a man who answers the phone without warning that his life is about to change. We get into what happened next, how siblings reacted, what it felt like to meet extended family in Utah, and how I’ve learned to honor my adoptive parents while still making space for biological roots.

If you’re into adoption reunion stories, DNA testing, Ancestry discoveries, identity work, and the messy truth of family, hit play. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

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