Most parents probably know how it feels to take care of their newborn babies. They have seen every milestone in their lives – which all parents want to experience.
Sadly, Gary Barnes was not able to experience the same thing.
It’s not because he didn’t want to but because he was already used to having no child. That was what he thought.
But that changed when he received a phone call from a woman – Olivia Robles.
This woman asked Gary a question that changed his life forever.
“‘Would you be willing to do a DNA test?’ I said ‘sure’,” Gary told CBS.
It turns out that woman was his long-lost daughter. She was born in the Philippines back in 1967. And Gary didn’t know about it.
When Olivia was 10 years old, she found out that her stepdad is not her biological father.
Of course, she wanted to meet her biological dad so she did something about it.
In 2014, she submitted her DNA sample to a genealogy company called Ancestry.com. Fortunately, Gary’s cousin, who is Diana Barnes also submitted her sample to the aforementioned site.
Olivia was notified that her DNA was a close match to someone who happened to be Diana. Olivia didn’t hesitate to contact Diana.
At that time, she was informed that Diana’s cousin had been frequently visiting the Philippines in 1966.
That made Olivia nervous and more hopeful that she was closer to the truth.
“The timeline fit together,” Robles told The Union.
“And then Diana sent me a picture of him. My youngest son has such a resemblance to him that I thought, ‘He has to be my father.’”
That was also the time when he decided to contact Gary via phone call. That conversation made her “at ease and comfortable.” She added that it was like she has known him for a long time.
The confirmation
Everything was confirmed after the Vietnam veteran sent his sample to the same website. He found out that Olivia is indeed his daughter.
Fortunately, the two had the chance to meet each other.
While waiting for his daughter, you can feel his excitement to meet her. And when they finally get to see each other, they both flashed genuine smiles.
Gary even got emotional. And they both gave each other big hugs. It’s just amazing that the whole thing was recorded as we can still watch it up to this day even it happened back in 2017.
The clip has reached millions of people and many of them were moved by the father and daughter’s reunion.
Gary’s life became more beautiful since then.
He was living a good life before. He has a property in Grass Valley and he was living there peacefully but he felt that something was missing.
Little did he know that his life would be happier and more colorful after reuniting with his long-lost child. Now, he can enjoy life more with his daughter, 3 grandsons, and one great-grandson.
Watch the video down below to witness their heartfelt reunion!
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