Woman who always wanted to find her biological dad took a DNA test at 35 and got an instant match
'I have been blessed with a father who not only wants to know me now, but has always wanted to...'
Sarah Pilkington grew up without her biological father; in fact, she didn't even know who he was until she turned 35 and jumped on a mission to reunite with him. Her mom conceived at the age of 20, and since she had multiple partners, she couldn't tell who Sarah's father was. Later, she married a guy, but unfortunately, Sarah and her stepdad could never see eye to eye, PEOPLE reported on November 2.
Although Sarah said she had a good relationship with her mom, she always felt like a part of her identity was missing. Sarah could have begun getting in touch with her dad a long time ago, but she was always scared of being rejected by him. She said she considered herself a burden. "You tend to seek out a lot of outside validation. Unfortunately, never having a strong male role in my life definitely impacted my self-worth," Sarah said. In 2024, she got divorced, and while she was rebuilding her life, she thought it was the best time to connect with her biological father. The woman ordered an ancestry test, and within three weeks, she found an immediate family member — her aunt. Sarah's sister searched for her aunt on Facebook and saw her father, who had striking brown eyes just like her. Sarah reactivated her Facebook account and messaged her aunt in California, who was more than willing to help her connect with her real dad. Soon enough, Sarah connected with Greg Mickles, her father, for the first time. "My dad and I spoke on the phone almost daily once we connected, so it was really just about trying to find the time with work schedules," she recalled.
In October 2025, Sarah's father and his wife visited Vancouver to meet her in person. "I have been blessed with a father who not only wants to know me now, but has always wanted to. And! A step-mother who feels the same. I am over the moon and so ready to face this new chapter, together," Sarah wrote in her post. She said she was surprised by just how quickly they bonded despite not knowing each other for years. "I have heard of these searches not going anywhere near as smoothly as this did. I did not think I would find him this fast or that it would be this easy," Sarah said. Her fear of being rejected by her father also vanished as he accepted her with all his heart. Since childhood, Sarah felt like she didn't know enough about herself and that a huge part of her identity was missing. Just like her, millions of people take ancestry tests to discover their roots. In fact, a survey by YouGov revealed some of the top reasons people try to find out their origin, and found 59% said they wanted to know about ancestry and heritage, 54% said they did it out of curiosity, 41% wanted to learn about health risks or genetic traits, and 22% wanted to connect with family members.
Meanwhile, Sarah had captured the beautiful moment she met her father and posted it on Instagram on October 21, 2025. People loved the heartwarming moment between them and showered Sarah and her family with love. Reacting to it, @doublerainnbow commented, "This is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us. And as a birth mom who got my kids back this year... let me just tell you that man is over the moon right now. I'm so happy for you all!"
@theashleyworkman wrote, "Well, now I'm crying! You are so worthy of this love!" @_ashleighjordan said, "Sarah, stop, this is too precious. I’m so happy for you and him!" @oliviakoitzsch wrote, "You deserve this and everything else that finds you." @terridroughtmickles, Sarah's step-mother also reacted to the reel and wrote, "You, my darling Sarah, have completed our family. We already love and adore you! So many happy tears!"
You can follow Sarah (@sugarspikeddd) on Instagram for lifestyle content.
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