I Was Adopted, Do We Have The Same Parents? | KARAMO

Today we are solving a DNA mystery. My guest is actually a friend of the show. Elizabeth has been a member of our studio audience. You see, just 3 years ago, Elizabeth found out that she was adopted. And after visiting our show a couple weeks ago, she was compelled to connect with one of my producers in hopes that she could find answers to her own DNA mystery. So Elizabeth, are you ready to start your journey from audience member to now main stage guest?

Yes.

Yes, you are? All right, well, listen. Come on, Elizabeth. Hold on, hold on. What's happening? Hold on. Come on, love. I love this. So I got to ask you, because it's kind of like meta right now, what is it like being in my audience? I don't know, because you know I love y'all. We talk all the time.

I had a great time.

Yes.

Yes, I had a good time dancing and everything.

So what was it that compelled you to say, was there a story or anything that I've done that says, that resonated with you to say, I wanna be on the show?

A couple of stories. I enjoyed the DNA testing with the young lady. She kept calling her mom, the sister mom.

Oh, sister mom. I remember them. Yes.

And I enjoyed the young man. He was an addict with his mom. And I know your son, you know, he's a recovering addict. So I respect you and I see a lot of things about you too with giving back to the community. And I enjoy that 'cause I give back to the community too. Thank you.

Absolutely.

So I salute you.

Thank you. I salute you. I heard you do that as well. Well, so I salute you as well.

Yes.

So what inspired you to actually find and reach out to one of my producers?

I reached out because it's been a long journey. I'm a survivor of human trafficking, so I found out a lot of things as far as me being adopted, I wasn't supposed to know. And I wanna just kind of close that chapter and just start something new for my daughter and my granddaughters, know where we come from.

Got it. So first of all, thank you for being vulnerable and talking about being human trafficked. I can only imagine what that was like for you. Can you share a little bit of what that story was?

I was kidnapped at the age of 14 and a half, human trafficked for at least 3 years, back and forth, state to state. And I just keep pushing and keep my head up.

Amen.

And I keep my awareness. I advocate in the streets to my friends. I go around in the neighborhood. If I see prostitutes, I give them condoms, wipes, things that they need to protect theyself and just be out there and I just talk.

Amen. Thank you for making it work. Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Yeah. And how did you find out you were adopted?

On Facebook. A young lady messaged me and she asked me if I was adopted. My middle name is Omeka. So when she Googled Omeka, I came up. And long story short, I asked my father if I was adopted. He told me we didn't have the same blood. And here I am. Wow.

So tell me about your adoptive father.

He's a good man. He's the best father ever. I love my dad and I miss my dad. He just told me, he just taught me love. Always remember where you come from. Don't forget where you come from. Keep your head up.

Yeah.

So yeah.

And he passed recently?

Yeah, he passed 9 months before he told me I was adopted.

Oh, I'm sorry. Here you go, my love.

Oh, thank you.

You're welcome.

So yeah.

And you reached out to the adoption agency after he told you that?

Yes.

So that, I wanna go back a little bit actually, 'cause that had to have been a shock because here you are, you're thinking you're my biological father and then he says 9 months later, 9 months before he passes, I may not be or I'm not.

Yes, he's not.

Yeah.

So he disclosed the adoption agency. I contacted the adoption agency. I registered myself with New York State Health Department to see if anybody was registered.

When you reached out to the agency, what did they say to you?

They didn't have that much information. My mother was 35 when she had me. The adoption was finalized in '85. I was born in Brooklyn. Religion was Muslim, and that was it.

Your birthday November 2nd?

Yes, sir. Hey, mother!

Hey, mother! Oh, hey!

We got turned out! What's up?

You joined the private home of a foster family. On September 23rd, 1985, you joined the home of your adoptive parents. We are not in possession of any more information pertaining to your adoption. Wow, okay.

Yeah.

Interesting. So prior to your father telling you, did you have any suspicion you were adopted?

I don't know, I just felt like a missing piece. I always got teased. My father's Italian and Sicilian, my mom is Black, so I always got teased when I was little.

Mm-hmm. So you always felt like you were something a little different?

Yes, always felt lost.

And what did you do next to find your biological family after you got this information?

I did the Ancestry DNA.

And what did you find about your family on the online search?

I have 9 sisters, a brother. My mother passed away 2015, and one of my sisters, supposedly one of my sisters have the same mother and father.

Wow. And all of that came back from Ancestry, but none of it, you don't know who any of these people are and you don't know. No. Wow.

I like facts, I like paperwork.

Yes, of course. I see you like the paperwork. You do the paper trail. I don't believe no lie.

Yes, sir.

So have you met any of your siblings?

I've met my sisters.

Yes.

Yes, sir, I've met them.

Okay. And how was that like?

It was interesting.

Yeah.

But then like I said, they're still strangers to me. So no disrespect to them, but they're still strangers.

Yeah. So you learned something significant about one of your potential siblings, Iyasia. Yes. What was it?

That we may have same mom, same birth father. Wow. Supposedly.

So potentially this could be your full sister.

Yes.

Not just a half.

Yes, my full sister.

How do you know Iyasia?

I know of her from the stories, pictures, and we look alike.

Have you met your biological mother yet?

She passed away 2015. I didn't get a chance to meet her.

Okay then. And what do you know about your biological mother and father?

I know my mother was addicted to drugs. I was born addicted to drugs. She just was respected. She was in the health field. I don't know nothing about the birth father besides his first name.

Everyone, please welcome Iyasia to the show. This is amazing.

This is a—

She look like you. You met in person?

Yes. You met in person? Yes, sir.

How are you?

I'm fine, how are you?

Thank you for being here. How are you doing today?

Nervous, but okay.

You nervous? Yeah. It's all right. Your sister's been here to the show before. I can tell you this is a loving place. So Ayesha, I heard a lot about your sister's story. Were you in foster care?

Yeah, I was adopted when I was 2 weeks old.

2 weeks old. Yeah. Okay. And what was your life like?

I would say it was pretty good, but I still wanted to know my siblings. My foster mother told me she did not want me to really meet my siblings. My birth family.

Oh, she didn't? Why was that?

Because all the drugs, activities going on and everything.

Got it.

'Cause I thought my foster family, like my foster sister was my real mother. I kept calling her mother.

Okay, and when did you find out she wasn't your mother?

When my foster mother told me, "No, that's your foster sister.

It's not your mother." And when did you first learn about Elizabeth?

I never knew her until we was 12 years old. And my foster sister told me that she was my sister. 2 weeks after that, we started talking. After that, I ain't see her no more.

Got it. Did you ever meet your biological mother before she passed?

I met her when I was 16, 17 years old. I wanted to know answers, but it's like no and yes. It's like I just wanted to go back to my foster people.

'Cause she wasn't giving you anything.

Yeah.

Was she still addicted to drugs at that point? Mm-hmm. Got it. Were you two the only ones that were put in foster care and adopted?

My other sister was adopted, the one I grew up with in the same foster home.

What would that mean to both of y'all to have a family family?

Be awesome.

Yeah.

Yeah.

What do you know about your biological father?

Nothing. The only thing I know is that he's Haitian.

And that he's Haitian?

Mm-hmm.

Okay then. This could be real big for y'all if y'all actually have the same mother and father because that would answer also so many questions So many questions about your genetics, about health, about so much. So you all ready for this DNA outcome?

Yeah, I'm ready. We can start a better relationship, stronger, get to know each other.

Yeah.

Do some, you know, we know each other but we don't know each other.

Like, yeah.

Got it. Well, here are the DNA outcomes. This will prove if you two are full sisters, if you share the same mother and father. Are you ready?

Yes, sir.

This is yours. Would you please read it out loud?

It says, "A.G. West, Mr.

Gibbs." That's right.

You two do share the same mother and father? Same father? Same mother and father.

I share the same mother and father.

OK. I knew it.

You said you knew it?

I already knew it.

You already knew it? You said the same.

I don't know about the other siblings, but I already knew.

Yeah.

We already knew, but we had to do it.

Yeah, I like paperwork, excuse me.

Yeah.

It tells you everything.

Well, you have tears in your eyes. What the tears from?

I don't know, I just— Joy, happiness. I do too, but yeah, happiness.

It's more happiness and just, I'm just gonna still continue my journey to find my dad.

Yeah, we are.

You know, just still continue. I can't stop.

Yeah, well any support that I can give you in help finding his father, I got you. It's about what comes next to make sure the healing because I could tell that you all already met, so there was already some healing that happened here, which I love. But as your tear dropped when you found that out and hearing you say you need your father, I know there's a big piece, there's a hole that's there. What would meeting your father mean to you?

I'm just more curious to why he wasn't a man and stepped up. 'Cause my father told me, it don't matter what color you are, what race you are, what age you are, you be a man.

Yes.

You step up.

Period. No excuses.

Y'all need to know from him, especially since your biological mother has passed. So would you two be okay with me helping you on this journey to find your biological father and then also helping you to get the real healing you both need? Yeah.

Yes.

We've been looking at it forever.

Well, look, I say the three of us get on this journey. Are you ready to start?

Yes.

All right, well, I'm happy that you two at least now know your biological mother and father are not a full sister and brother.

Yes. And I appreciate your time and having me on the show.

Of course.

And I'll be back.

Yeah, we about to figure out this journey together, girl. Let's go.

I'll be back in the audience somewhere. I don't know, but yeah.

Yeah, we'll figure this journey out together. Good luck, Karamo.

Yes, thank you so much.

All right, thank you for being with us. Come back next time, friends, so we can keep talking and growing. I love you all. Hold up, hold up, where are you going? I know you wanna watch more Karamo, so click here to subscribe and click here to watch more so we can keep talking and growing, friends. I love you.