Episode 39: Maryssa Drove 8½ Hours to Meet the Family She Never Knew

What happens when the story you've been told about your origins isn't the whole story? And what happens when someone reaches out and suddenly changes everything you thought you knew about your family?

In this episode of DNA Discoveries, I talk with Maryssa, who has written a memoir about her resilient life, including her journey of discovering her biological family.

Maryssa shares the challenges of growing up without knowing her full family history, the reality of closed adoptions, and what happened when someone unexpectedly reached out with information about her mother's family. She describes the experience of seeing a photograph of someone she was related to, reaching out to her biological mother, and discovering a paternal family that welcomed her.

We also talk about the eight-and-a-half-hour drive she made to meet her newfound relatives. What was going through her mind during that journey? How do you go from being complete strangers to becoming family?

Maryssa also shares why she decided to put her life story into a memoir, what early readers are saying about her book, and the advice she has for others beginning their own DNA discovery journey.

It's a conversation about identity, family, resilience, and the unexpected ways our lives can change when we discover where we come from.

Purchase Maryssa's memoir on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/One-Left-Here-Motherhood-Finding-ebook/dp/B0HMYN7LN6/