Dixon Handshaw thought he was an only child for most of his life. But decades after being adopted, the 75-year-old learned he has a handful of siblings, whom he met just in time for the holidays.
Over the weekend, Handshaw – who lives in North Carolina – flew to Rochester, New York, where he met some of his half-siblings ahead of the family’s annual Christmas party.
“All my life, I dreamed about having siblings somewhere,” Handshaw told CNN affiliate WHAM, which captured the siblings’ first meeting at the airport on Friday. “This is my Christmas miracle.”
On Saturday, Handshaw met over 50 relatives he didn’t know existed until earlier this year, he told CNN on Tuesday. The gathering, which included cousins and their children, was a welcome surprise for Handshaw, who was the only child to his adoptive parents and has no children of his own.
“I’ve never met anybody who shares my DNA,” Handshaw said. But as soon as he met his relatives they immediately clicked, Handshaw said. “It was wonderful,” he added. “I have never felt such an outpouring of unconditional love as I had from my new family.”
Born in Buffalo, New York, in 1949, Handshaw was adopted at three months old and had a happy childhood, he said, adding that his parents were honest about his adoption.
“I always wanted to find them, but New York State sealed the pre-adoption birth certificates, and it was impossible to find out,” Handshaw said.
In 2020, original birth certificates were unsealed for adopted New Yorkers following the passage of a 2019 law.
Right now, Handshaw and his siblings are making up for lost time, but their meeting is better late than never, he noted.
“I had great adoptive parents. They were wonderful. I love them and I miss them, but I always wanted siblings, and now I have them,” Handshaw told CNN. “I thought one or two would be great. I got six!”
