DNA tests were once scenarios we’d only see unfold in films or TV shows.
But today, these tests are often given as gifts for occasions like Christmas, with ancestry analysis and health screenings replacing the other items we used to ask for.
Yet, while many take these tests "just for fun", the results don’t always bring joy—such as for this dad, who uncovered a heartbreaking truth about his son.
Donna Johnson and her husband Vanner decided on a whim to do DNA tests with their two sons, Vanner Jr., 18, and Tim, 12, to learn more about their family heritage.
Initially, the Utah couple had brushed off the physical differences between their sons as something normal.
However, when they received the results online, Donna told The US Sun last year that she initially thought there must have been a mistake.
While Vanner was confirmed as the biological father of their eldest son, the results showed he was not a match for their youngest, leading Donna to a moment of “sickening clarity.”
The couple had turned to IVF due to health challenges, and when Tim was born in 2008, it had “felt like a miracle.”
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Although the differences in appearance between Tim and Vanner Jr. had been noted, the family dismissed them as typical. But the home DNA test revealed the real reason: the boys had different biological fathers.
Vanner decided to take Tim out for ice cream when he was 12 and gently told him the truth about not being his biological dad.
He recalled: “He said, ‘Well, you’re still my dad,’ and I said, ‘That’s right, and I will always be your dad,’ and that was special."
After consulting with lawyers and counselors, the couple decided to search for Tim’s biological father, who was identified as Devin McNeil.
It turned out there had been a mix-up at the IVF clinic, leading to Devin’s sperm being used for the Johnsons’ procedure.
Since making this discovery, the two families have become close, like extended family, and are now advocating for stricter regulations in the IVF industry.
Donna shared with KUTV in 2021: “You go in, and they talk about risks, and most of the risks have to do with getting pregnant and not getting pregnant or having hormonal imbalances, but none of them really talk about there could be a mix up.”
Vanner added: “We’re lucky in our case. Devin and his wife and their family ended up awesome. I don’t imagine that it’s always like that.”
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