VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) -- Carrie Newton said her childhood was filled with joy, and happiness, alongside her mom, stepdad, and siblings.<\/p>\n
\"I thought my mom's first husband was my dad, and I had never met him because I was raised by my stepdad,\" Newton, now 52 years old, remembered.<\/p>\n
Thoughts of tracking down her biological father rarely entered her mind until she was older. It wasn't until three years ago that she hopped on the trend of submitting a DNA heritage test.<\/p>\n
\"I just wanted to find out where I was from geographically, Newton said.<\/p>\n
Little did she know that DNA kit would change her life forever.<\/p>\n
\"I kept getting emails saying, 'You have a fifth cousin'. I didn't care about that. Then about a year later, I checked my email, and it said, 'You have a half-sister and a niece, said Newton.<\/p>\n
It turns out that half-sister got a similar notification around the same time because she took the same DNA heritage kit. The two eventually came into contact, leading Newton to her biological father, Mario Gonzales.<\/p>\n
\"My daughter from my previous marriage called me and goes, 'Dad, did you date a girl by the name of Kay when you 18?' And it was complete silence,\" said Gonzales.<\/p>\n
He was shocked because, at 18, he dated Newtons mother until she moved back to Seattle, and he'd never hear from her again.<\/p>\n
\"My daughter gave me her number, and I immediately called her and said, 'Honey, this is your dad,' and she started crying, she made me cry, Gonzales said.<\/p>\n
Gonzales said he never knew Newtons mother was pregnant. Sadly, in 2004 Kay lost her battle with cancer, taking that secret with her.<\/p>\n
Finally, after a long-awaited year amid COVID-19, the duo met at San Diego International Airport.<\/p>\n
As Newton came down the escalator, years of distance evaporated in mere moments as she and Gonzales embraced each other with tears of joy.<\/p>\n
The cost of these DNA kits unearthing a priceless connection.<\/p>\n
\"It was like we were two peas in a pod. Every time we talked, it's like we get each other,\" Newton said.<\/p>\n
This story was first reported by Vanessa Paz on 10news.com.<\/p>\n
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\nDNA kit links father and daughter after 52 years - ABC Action News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"