What Was That Like - a storytelling podcast with amazing stories from real people
Society & Culture:Personal Journals
DNA technology is pretty amazing, and it’s gone mainstream. I recently submitted a DNA kit with one of the companies called 23andme. I got the results back, and they gave me a list of 1500 people who were all “somewhere” in my family tree. And I’ve even gotten in touch with some of them. Here’s an example. When I was a kid, we lived in Ohio but we had a lot of family in Virginia because that’s where my dad was from. I had a great uncle who lived in Virginia, and he was in the market for a dog. Well, it turns out our dog had just had a litter of puppies and we had a dog available. This puppy was a mixed breed but probably mostly black lab, and he was all black except for a little bit of white right on the tip of his tail. So we named him Tippy. I’m a real animal lover and I loved Tippy. This was when I was probably about 9 or 10 years old. We drove to Virginia and brought him with us, because he was of course going to live with my uncle. I remember the day we were leaving, and the last time I saw Tippy. I was really sad. Okay, now fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I got the results back from the DNA test. I got in touch with a young lady who was actually the granddaughter of my uncle in Virginia. I mentioned to her the story about Tippy (mainly because it’s one of the stories that stands out from my childhood). Later that day, she emailed me a picture of my uncle – and there was Tippy, in that picture. She said she remembered my great uncle, her grandfather, having that dog and what great companions they were. So I thought that was pretty cool. But that’s nothing compared to the story you’re about to hear from today’s guest, Monica. She’s 40 years old, she lives in the Midwest, and she has gone through her whole life, in a lot of ways, just like lots of other people. She grew up in a typical family environment, with her mom and her dad, so of course she knew who her family was. But then she discovered that what she thought was true for 40 years, wasn’t actually the truth at all. Links: 23andme.comAncestry.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
121: Bonus episode - Raw Audio WWTL 121
120: Todd was stranded in a snowstorm
119: Ashley's baby couldn't breathe
118: Fabiana won The Price Is Right showcase
117: Summer was stuck in Peru
116: Two New York City 9/11 stories
115: ShaNae handled a 911 call
114: Martine witnessed horror at 16
113: Bonus episode - They Knew
112: Courtney's mom chose when to die
111: Margy's dad was a hoarder
110: Jen is a professional bridesmaid
109: Evan was buried in an avalanche
108: Kennedy hung from a power line
107: Jill was kept in a basement
106: Tessi heard a tree fall
105: Jessica's kidnappers demanded $45 million
104: Jami was a juror in a murder trial
103: Adam saw no way out
102: Dee's father crawled toward him
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Innovation in Compliance with Tom Fox
Kate’s Take
The Shameless Mom Academy: Motherhood, Motivation, and Mindset Tips for Busy Moms
HORSES IN THE MORNING
Wise Traditions