This year, 75-year-old Handshaw from North Carolina received a miraculous Christmas gift. He thought he was an only child, but after being adopted for decades, he unexpectedly learned that he had many siblings and met with them and over 50 relatives before Christmas, making him overjoyed and calling it a "Christmas miracle"!
The Best Christmas Gift
According to CNN, Handshaw flew to Rochester, New York, last Saturday to meet his half-siblings and attend the family's annual Christmas party.
Handshaw reunited with more than 50 relatives he had never met before, including cousins and their children. For Handshaw, who was adopted as a child and has no children, this reunion was overwhelming.
He said, "I have never met anyone who shares my genes. The moment we met, we immediately became close, and that kind of unconditional love is touching."
Finding Roots Through Unsealed Birth Certificate
Handshaw was born in 1949 in Buffalo, New York, and was adopted when he was 3 months old. He always knew about his background, but because New York state sealed pre-adoption birth certificates, he was unable to find his birth family. With the law amended in 2019, the original birth certificates were unsealed in 2020. In August this year, he obtained his birth certificate and discovered that his biological father was Robert "Bud" Romig, a graduate student in the Physics Department at Cornell University, and his biological mother was the department's secretary. He knew his birth mother didn't have other children, but he always wondered if his birth father had other children.
He searched his father's name, found the obituary, and discovered that he bore a striking resemblance to his father, immediately realizing that the father might have other children.
Finding Family and Establishing Contact
His biological father, Romig, moved to Rochester after Handshaw was born, formed a family with another woman, raised her three children, and had five more children together. Handshaw decided to contact his biological father's stepson, Gary Romig, and sent his photo to him. Since they both had adoption backgrounds, Handshaw believed he would understand his situation.
Although Handshaw did not spend Christmas with his new family this year, he plans to spend more time with his half-siblings in the future, such as camping together. Currently, the siblings have established a chat group and stay in touch daily.