1. When a DNA test suggested a woman wasn’t the mother of the children she gave birth to
“I knew that I carried them, and I knew that I delivered them. There was no doubt in my mind.”
– Lydia Fairchild
Can you imagine waking up the next day, knowing that the children you’ve been raising are possibly not yours? That was what Lydia Fairchild had faced.
It all started when Lydia wanted to apply for government assistance. For that to be successful, her kids had to go through paternity testing and that’s where things got awry.
The DNA test had established that Lydia’s husband was indeed the father of her children. However, shockingly, Lydia was not the mother. This led to the government suspecting Lydia of committing welfare fraud. Therefore, her third child delivery was subjected to being monitored.
Prosecutors were stunned when the DNA of the child she had just given birth to did not match Lydia’s DNA. This is when it gets interesting. Further DNA analysis revealed that Lydia was more like a close relative to her children.
However, thanks to a similar case in Boston, Lydia was revealed to be a chimera, meaning she has two sets of DNA in her body.
You might be thinking “How can something as bizarre as this happen?”
Well, Lydia started out as a twin in her mother’s womb but during the early stages of pregnancy, she might have either merged with – or absorbed her sibling. The cells of the absorbed twin are still present in a concentrated region of Lydia’s body, this is why she has two sets of DNA.
2. When two lifelong friends discovered they were actually biological brothers
“If we had known sooner we were brothers, we would have been contacting each other all the time.”
– Walter Macfarlene
Having been friends for more than 6 decades, Walter Macfarlane and Alan Robinson are definitely very familiar with each other.
In 2016, when DNA testing kits were first commercialized, Walter’s daughter suggested he try it out. To his surprise, he discovered high similarities between his DNA sequences and the sequences of another user from the same DNA testing company and it turned out to be none other than Alan Robinson.
Both men realised they share the same mother when they found out there were numerous identical X chromosomes between them.
Source: (1)
3. When the cold case murder of Krystal Beslanowitch was solved after 18 years
“It’s a case that’s haunted me for almost my whole career.”
– Todd Bonner, Lead investigator of the case
In 1995, Beslanowitch, a 17 year old prostitute at the time was struck on her head by a granite rock.
Eighteen years later, Todd Bonner and Krystal’s parents finally received some closure when the killer was found through the use of DNA technologies.
Throughout the years, the case has been on and off. In 1997, the case was first closed due to insufficient evidence. Thankfully, forensic technology was produced in 2006, which is the year the case re-opened.
DNA was extracted from the granite rock and the sequence was compared to the ones in the CODIS database. The DNA from the granite rock matched the DNA of Joseph Michael Simpson, thus he was declared the murderer of Krystal Beslanowitch.
4. When a woman found out that her parents’ fertility doctor is her dad
“How violated I felt by the doctor, knowing what he had done.”
– Sally Ashby, who was inseminated by her fertility doctor without her consent.
Kelly Rowlette had always thought that Sally Ashby and Howard Fowler were her parents. However, her DNA test results made her think otherwise. The American woman thought the test might be flawed but that was before she found out that her DNA matched the very doctor who delivered her.
The whole story first began when Rowlette’s parents decided to have a baby through in vitro-fertilization, instead of the conventional way. This was due to Howard’s low sperm count and Ashby’s uterine condition. Little did they know that Dr Gerard Mortimer had been using his own sperm to inseminate Rowlette’s mother for a period of 3 months.
After getting caught, Dr Mortimer was quoted saying “I was ashamed. I regret the fact that I was a sperm donor; that I did those things in the past. I guess I feel bad about that. I wish I hadn’t done it.”
As of now, Rowlette and her family are currently awaiting court proceedings, they have requested $75,000 in damages.
5. When a major celebrity encouraged dozens of women to go for gene testing
“I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience, cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.”
– Angelina Jolie
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Angelina Jolie. She is a famous American actress who has provided her assistance to many humanitarian projects.
In 2013, Jolie wrote an article in which she spoke about her journey upon finding out she had a BRCA1 mutation. After the article was published, genetic testing rates significantly grew. This phenomenon was dubbed the “Angelina” effect or the “Jolie” effect.
She received praise worldwide, from medical experts to fellow celebrities for her bravery and honesty. Harvard Medical School even started a research that investigated the “Jolie” Effect.
Fifteen days after Jolie’s article was published, daily rates of testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations increased by 64%, and this was in comparison to the 15 working days before. This was a remarkable feat considering how BRCA mutations can also cause prostate cancer and ovarian cancer.
Those were just a few of the many stories that depict DNA technologies as life-changers! They certainly play a big role in keeping us aware of our health risks. To learn more about your DNA, treat yourself with a special 40% discount when you pre-order our new DNA Explorer Prime and DNA Explorer Carrier kits! Pre-order starts on 26th April 2020.
