With the Trump administration moving to reclassify nursing so it no longer counts as a professional degree for federal student aid, this episode couldn’t land at a more urgent moment. Nursing organizations warn that limiting access to funding threatens the very foundation of patient care, and in our household, where nurses are family, this news hits hard.

Today’s guest, Lisa, is a nurse practitioner, an adoptee, and someone who has lived through more than one life-changing twist thanks to DNA testing. Her story blends caregiving, identity, trauma, reunion, and that beautiful mix of nature and nurture we explore so often on Family Twist.

Lisa grew up in a loving adoptive home, always knowing she was adopted but never knowing the medical history she desperately needed. As a nurse practitioner and later a mother, the absence of that information became impossible to ignore. When she finally began searching for answers, she uncovered a story that feels like fate.

If you want to go even deeper into Lisa’s story, you can find her book here:

The Adopted Nurse (Amazon):

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+adopted+nurse

Her journey includes:

• A neighbor who recognizes her immediately

• A grandfather she may have unknowingly cared for as an ICU nurse

• A birth family who lived down the street from her adoptive parents

• Birth aunts who welcome her with warmth, memory, and long-held truths

This episode explores the way caregivers are shaped by their histories, how adoptees carry both gratitude and grief, and how discovering your roots can transform everything.

Next week, Part Two goes even deeper with a second DNA discovery that completely reframes Lisa’s understanding of identity and safety. But first, this is where her story begins.

In part one, a simple birthday DNA kit rewrote everything Nick thought he knew about his identity. He learned he was donor conceived at thirty-six, discovered fourteen half siblings, and realized his parents had carried the truth for decades.

But nothing prepared him for what came next.

In this episode, Nick talks about the two siblings who were raised by the donor, and the complicated question that hangs over many donor conceived adults:

Do they know about us

And if they do not, should someone tell them

Part Two explores the unsettling space between biological connection and total silence, and what it means to live with questions you cannot safely or ethically answer.

Nick also shares how he transformed his experience into a book and a podcast, giving other donor conceived people a place to speak honestly, without shame or editing. His story is both deeply personal and universally familiar to anyone navigating DNA surprises.

• What it feels like to discover donor raised siblings who may be unaware of you

• The ethics of reaching out when the consequences are unknown

• How donor conceived adults become detectives whether they want to or not

• The ongoing challenges of incomplete medical histories

• Writing as a way to process identity shifts

• Why Nick created a podcast for donor conceived voices

• How openness can protect mental and emotional health

• The growing need for reform and transparency in the fertility industry

• How music helped Nick work through identity questions

• Donor conceived people often live with unanswered questions that affect identity, medical decisions, and relationships

• The donor’s raised children may be unaware of their genetic siblings, creating an emotional and ethical dilemma

• Stories and conversation help break isolation and build community

• The fertility industry still offers little guidance to the adults created through these methods

• Honesty and visibility remain the strongest tools for change

• How would you feel if you learned you had siblings who did not know you existed

• What responsibility, if any, do donor conceived people have toward the donor’s raised children

• What part of your story have you been afraid to speak out loud

• How might telling your truth change your relationships or your sense of self

What if a simple birthday gift revealed a secret your parents had been carrying for more than three decades?

For his 36th birthday, Nick’s siblings gave him a 23andMe kit. It seemed like a fun way to learn more about his ancestry, until his parents sat him down with a truth that changed everything. Nick discovered that he was donor conceived, while his brother was not.

In this first part of Nick’s story, he shares what it felt like to have the truth land without warning, why he chose compassion instead of anger, and how this discovery ultimately strengthened his relationship with the father who raised him.

Nick also explains the fertility practices of the 1980s, including sperm washing and sperm mixing, and how secrecy became standard procedure for families like his.

And when his test results came back, the surprises were just beginning.

• How a DNA test transformed a birthday gift into a life-changing discovery
• The moment Nick’s parents told him the truth about his conception
• How secrecy was encouraged in fertility medicine during the 1980s
• The emotional impact of realizing your family story is incomplete
• Why Nick’s empathy toward his parents shaped their healing
• The mix of gratitude and confusion that comes with learning you are donor conceived
• The unregulated side of the fertility industry and its lasting effects
• Discovering 14 half-siblings, including two raised by the donor
• Finding a new sense of identity and belonging after a DNA surprise

It was the shock of my life. I did not see it coming whatsoever.

I could see the fear in my parents’ eyes, and I just wanted to make sure they were okay.

When I found out I was donor conceived, it didn’t break our relationship. It made it stronger.

Doctors told them, ‘Don’t ever say anything. There’s no way this will ever come out.’

• DNA tests can reveal truths that change entire family narratives.
• Secrets meant to protect can create years of emotional weight.
• Empathy and openness can lead to unexpected healing.
• The fertility industry’s lack of oversight has left many families without answers.
• Understanding your origins can strengthen, not destroy, family connections.

• How would you respond if you learned your family story wasn’t what you thought?
• What might honesty bring to a family that has held on to a secret for years?
• How do we redefine family when biology and identity diverge?
• What does compassion look like in moments of shock or betrayal?