How a Nurse Practitioner Survived a Second DNA Discovery

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In Part One, Lisa shared her extraordinary adoption reunion story. A closed adoption, a lifetime of questions, a birth family who lived down the street, and the shocking discovery that she likely cared for her own biological grandfather in the ICU. It was a story about caregiving, identity, and the power of finally finding your roots.

Part Two takes us into a very different kind of discovery.

This episode explores the emotional fallout of her paternal DNA match. What begins with hopeful emails and a powerful moment of genetic mirroring turns into years of confusion, mixed narratives, addiction, emotional manipulation, and the painful truth adoptees often live with. Reunion does not guarantee safety. Sometimes it brings an entirely new wave of grief.

Lisa walks us through the relationship with her biological father, the intense early connection, the unraveling that followed, the trauma she and her daughter endured, and the strength it took to reclaim her voice again. It is an honest, vulnerable look at what happens when the fantasy of family meets the reality of human complexity.

And throughout it all, Lisa continues to ground herself in caregiving, advocacy, and her work as a nurse practitioner. As nursing faces new threats on the national stage, her story is a reminder of how much nurses carry for the rest of us and why their voices matter.

This is Part Two of Lisa’s story. If you missed Part One, we recommend listening in order.

Her book, The Adopted Nurse, expands on this journey with even more insight and compassion.

How a Nurse Practitioner Survived a Second DNA Discovery

What Listeners Will Hear

• The first phone call with her biological father.

• How hope and longing shaped her early trust.

• The intense bond that formed during their first visit.

• Signs that something was not right.

• The unraveling of the relationship.

• The impact on her daughter.

• The yearslong cycle of addiction, apologies, and emotional confusion.

• The night she and her daughter were kicked out with nowhere to go.

• How therapy and reflection helped her make sense of the narrative she was given.

• Why she will never know the full truth about her birth parents.

• How this experience deepened her work as an adoptee advocate and nurse practitioner.

• What she wants other adoptees to know before they take a DNA test.

• Her message of healing, strength, and reclaiming your own story.

Link to Lisa’s Book: The Adopted Nurse

If Lisa’s story resonates with you, or if you have your own Family Twist, we would love to hear from you. Your story matters. Your truth matters. And your voice deserves to be heard.