'I had no clue'

MILTON — Milton resident Frank Papasavas has always been curious to learn more about his ancestry but he never expected that a DNA test would lead to discovering a son he never knew existed.

Papasavas always assumed that he was of Greek descent given his last lame but upon completing a 23andMe DNA kit, he made the first first of what he said were three shocking discoveries.

“The first shock came back when I got the first results back,” Papasavas said, “zero Greek.”

Papasavas said he learned he was British, Irish and Welsh. He said that he also bought his half-sister a DNA kit and found out they were not blood related at all. But the biggest surprise was yet to come.

Papasavas said that as part of the 23andMe program, members have access to a website that only people whose DNA results match one another’s can message each others to connect.

“Two months ago a person named Bill Wyko messaged me and said he was looking for biological siblings and the system found me and indicated that I was his father,” he said. “The genetic results showed a 50 percent match.”

According to Papasavas, Wyko said his birth mother's last name was Poulsen. Papasavas said the first woman he dated had the same last name — further confirmation. Papasavas said they also found a striking resemblance to one another in Facebook pictures.

Papasavas will be going to meet his son for the very first time in January in Arizona. He said he has already introduced Bill to his other children and his current wife Laura is looking forward to him meeting his son.

“Our hope is to have a good relationship,” Papasavas said. “I think he understands I was a kid, [and his mother] was a kid. I had no clue [I had a son.] Bill seems like a fine young man. His foster parents did a fine job raising him."

Wyko said the reason he did the DNA test was because he had a stroke and he wanted to find out more about what health risks he could be facing.

"I never expected to find my father," he said. "I expected if anything to find maybe some cousins."

Wyko said that he and Papasavas stay in constant contact over the phone and that he is looking forward to the meeting.

"We get along great," he said.

Wyko said that his adopted father is also looking forward to meeting Papasavas.

According to their website, 23andMe, Inc. is a consumer genetics and research company. Founded in 2006, the mission of the company is to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. 23andMe has millions of customers worldwide, with more than 80 percent of customers consented to participate in research.

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This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 'I had no clue'