Man, 45, who thought he was Greek finds his 'double' dad after taking DNA test
A man says he was left stunned after he discovered that he has lived his whole life with the wrong heritage.
Andrew Pérez, from Liverpool, believed his father he had never met was Greek after going off little details about the mystery man. But after the 45-year-old began to search for him in his later life, he found out he was from Chile.
However, it took a while to find the missing pieces to the puzzle as Andrew initially hit several dead ends during his hunt. "I searched through databases to see if there was any record of my mum meeting dad on the ships but there was no trace of him anywhere," he explained.
"I kept hitting these dead ends so resorted to taking a DNA test and, six weeks after the test results were back, it came up with a connection for a relative." The dad of two was put in touch with Orietta Vergara, who lived in Florida, she spoke to Andrew and said she'd look into what he had already found out about his family.
Soon after Orietta went away, she called Andrew back and he learnt she was actually his sister, reports Liverpool Echo. Andrew said: "It was such a surprise. I have two sisters, two brothers, loads of nieces, nephews, uncles, aunties and obviously a dad who is 72 and living in Chile. I've lived a life for 45 years thinking I'm Greek, but it turns out I'm Chilean!"
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Andrew is planning to met his father in person (Andrew Pérez)
Andrew said he looks exactly like his father, Eduardo Perez Alarcon (Andrew Pérez)The managing director, supported by his partner Barbara Keenan, slowly met more of his new family via video chats before meeting his dad, Eduardo Perez Alarcon. He said: "My sister told me that, as soon as she told dad he had a son in the UK, the first thing he asked was 'Is he from Liverpool?'. So, he had a bit of an inkling and it kind of confirmed it all for me."
Andrew found out that his dad was in the Marines for a spell before working in the Merchant Navy. He travelled across Europe before coming to Liverpool around the time he would have met Andrew's mum. He said that seeing some old family photos proved beyond a doubt he was part of the family.
"I am the absolute double of dad to the point you wouldn't need a DNA test to know we were related somehow - the same with my brothers. It's been like looking in a mirror," he said. "The family have just opened their arms and accepted me. I don't think it's properly hit me yet but I've found my dad and we're finally going to meet face-to-face in April."
In preparation, Andrew has been learning bits of Spanish so he can confidently chat with his newfound family. He said: "It's not the end of the story here is it, it's the beginning of something new and exciting. If anyone else is in a similar situation to me, and wants to find any long-lost relatives, I'd say go for it. There was always a doubt for me of finding a dad and getting rejected or finding out it was too late and he'd passed away but, for me, it worked out to be incredible."
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