75-yr-old man thought he was an only child — until he discovered he was adopted and met biological family

Meeting your birth parents, even after being raised by loving adoptive parents, can be a surreal and deeply emotional experience for some. This heartfelt moment resonates with a profound sense of discovery. The longing to reunite with your biological parents is not about replacing the family that nurtured you, but rather about finding a missing piece of your personal story. This was the case for Dixon Handshaw, who was separated from his biological family at birth, and reunited with them after 75 years, reports ABC News.

Handshaw grew up believing he was an only child—until a life-changing revelation shattered that belief: he was adopted. Just when he least expected it, fate gave him an unforgettable gift—he met his half-siblings. Overwhelmed with emotion, Handshaw packed his bags and traveled from North Carolina to Rochester, New York, ahead of their family Christmas party. As soon as he landed, his siblings greeted him with warm, heartfelt hugs. "Now that’s what I call a Christmas miracle. All my life, I dreamed about having siblings somewhere," Handshaw said. 

Born in Buffalo, New York, Handshaw was adopted at just three months old. Though separated from his birth parents, he had a wonderful childhood. His adoptive parents were always open about his adoption but had no knowledge of his biological family’s existence. “I always wanted to find them, but New York State sealed the pre-adoption birth certificates and it was impossible to find out,” he said. Like millions of adopted children, Handshaw longed to meet his biological family. However, his dream was temporarily thwarted by the legal restrictions surrounding his adoption papers.

But as they say, destiny had its own plans. In 2020, a new bill was passed granting adoptees the right to obtain a certified copy of their birth certificate once they turned 18. This allowed Handshaw to resume his search, and in August 2024, he finally received his birth papers. Upon learning about New York State Law, Handshaw immediately requested his pre-adoption birth certificate. He was unaware of the large paternal family awaiting him and wasn’t sure if they would be happy to learn about his existence.

"I did not want to intrude on people, I did not know if they would be happy that I was around or not," Handshaw shared. The first call he made after uncovering details about his birth family was to his older brother, Gary. Despite the call coming from an unknown number, Gary answered, only to hear Handshaw say, "Hi! My name is Dixon, I am your brother." He sent a picture to his older brother, and all his siblings were amazed by how closely Handshaw resembled their father, Robert Romig. Handshaw explained that he chose to call Gary because he knew they both shared the experience of being adopted. "I chose Gary as the one that I would call because I knew he was adopted and I was adopted, and so I thought he would be empathetic to my situation," he added. 

The 75-year-old man finally had the heartwarming opportunity to meet his large family, consisting of 52 members, over a weekend. "I have never felt such an outpouring of unconditional love in my whole life. This was my Christmas miracle. Landing at that airport and meeting my family for the first time after 75 years," Handshaw revealed to the media outlet.