'I was stunned': DNA tests reveal hidden family secret for B.C. woman
CTV
A B.C. woman spoke with CTV News about how she came across a life-changing discovery in her family, and what pushed her to want to learn more.
Improvements in DNA testing and the growing interest in learning about your family tree have created a new industry in the 21st century: do-it-yourself genealogy.
What started as a niche hobby for those who were curious about their heritage has turned into a US$5.4-billion enterprise. Now millions of North Americans send their DNA through the mail, eager to learn more about their ancestral heritage.
While some may see it as harmless fun, the topic has raised ethical questions about the potential for genealogical DNA test results to disrupt family relations, uncovering skeletons in family closets and creating more questions than answers.
CTV News asked readers to share their experiences with 23andMe, Ancestry, MyHeritage and other genealogy websites. Were they surprised with the results? Did they uncover anything they didn't expect? What impact did it have on their family?
Nearly 100 people responded to our callout, providing CTV News with a diverse volume of unique stories: secret affairs, faulty adoptions, newborns switched accidentally in the hospital, or unwed mothers giving up their child to the church.
One of those readers was Jody Paterson, a Vancouver Island resident whose experience led her down a path that she could never have imagined. She spoke with CTV News to discuss how she came across a life-changing discovery in her family, and what pushed her to want to learn more.
Paterson has always been interested in genetics. The 67-year-old took a test through MyHeritage DNA in 2018 "for fun," saying mild curiosity made her buy one for herself and her three children. The results didn't find anything out of the norm, but her interest in genealogy continued to grow.
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