Man Takes A DNA Test On A Whim, And Then Receives A Message That Changes His Life

After undergoing a DNA test via 23andMe, Melanie Pressley patiently waited for the results online. Eventually, she received a notification that a match had been found on the company’s system — and when she read it she couldn’t believe her eyes. Suddenly, Melanie had been given the chance to reconnect with a face from her past after decades apart: she’d finally located her son. But was a reunion possible?

Say hello to Melanie

A resident of Wadsworth, Ohio, Melanie and her husband were the proud parents of three adult children. On the surface, they appeared to be a strong family unit, with many other relatives making up their clan. Yet despite that, the mom was constantly dealing with an inner turmoil that just wouldn’t go away. In fact, it’d been lingering since the summer of 1988.

Teen pregnancy

During that period, Melanie was an 18-year-old living in Canton, Ohio. And she was preparing to become a mom for the first time, sporting an ever-growing baby bump. The big moment finally arrived on June 17, 1988, at a local hospital, and she welcomed a beautiful little boy into the world.

A photo to cherish

Shortly after Melanie delivered the baby, she was pictured cradling her sleeping son at the hospital. It was a lovely shot, and could’ve been the first of many. But the teen mom couldn’t look ahead to a future with her child in Ohio: rather, she was confronting a devastating truth. Quite simply, she didn’t have the money to support him.

Letting go

Melanie had to make an extremely difficult decision — she knew that she couldn’t keep the baby. So, the teenager turned to an adoption facility with a clear goal in mind. Speaking to local TV station News 5 Cleveland in August 2021, she said, “I wanted [my son] to have a mother and father.” Thankfully, Melanie got her wish in the end.