Birthday Gift

"Thanks to Linda Finds Family, I found the brother I never knew I had.
For my dad’s 75th birthday, I thought I’d create an expanded family tree for him."
"He had endured a lot in recent years—a close cousin passed away at a time when he was dealing with the loss of two close friends. I knew his own mortality weighed heavily on him, and when he began sharing stories of his childhood, I decided to research our family. I was able to find some basic information but hit a dead end. I was running out of time when a friend recommended Linda Finds Family. Right away, I understood why Linda came so highly recommended. From our first conversation, I felt she was invested in my family’s history. She suggested I take a DNA test, and before I got the results, she had already completed my paternal family tree going back several generations. I was thrilled with the information and reports she presented and thought that was the end of my story. Then my DNA results came back…
That’s when Linda explained that I have a paternal half-brother. I was shocked. I thought it was some mistake, but of course, it wasn’t. My questions were endless. Did my dad know but kept him from us for 50+ years? Was he never told that he conceived a son? How would it change the dynamics of my relationship with my dad and my younger brother? Would he even want to meet me? Navigating these questions is where Linda shines. At this point, it was clear I still needed her research skills and also her advice, so I hired her to find my new brother. My half-brother’s name is relatively common, but Linda quickly narrowed down the prospects, found him, and got his contact info. Impressive, to say the least, considering he is truly off the grid. I was excited, yet terrified. I didn’t want to ambush him, so I decided to have Linda Finds Family make the introduction for me. I’m happy I did because having a neutral person contact him helped put everyone at ease. Linda also gave suggestions on how to present the news to my dad. Thanks to her, we had a conversation (as opposed to a confrontation), and it went surprisingly well. My dad had no idea he fathered a son at age 20.
Finding out surprising family secrets is never easy, and the process can have obstacles. Still, Linda Finds Family was there to help all of us navigate through the emotional side of the news. Since Linda found my brother, we have all meet him. It was incredible to see the similarities between him and my dad. They both worked in the same field, have the same dry wit and political views. In fact, we joke that the son he didn’t raise is more like him than the kids he did raise. I wasn’t expecting to find my dad a new son for his birthday, but it turned out to be the gift he needed most.
I cannot recommend Linda Finds Family enough. Linda approaches every situation with kindness, compassion, and incredible skill. And she will not stop until she finds who you’re looking for.
Linda not only finds family—she heals families."
—K. Young, Detroit, MI