‘I have always looked different from my family’: Father-of-six who battled feelings of isolation throughout his childhood discovers aged 70 that he was SWITCHED at birth
- Andy Perkins, who grew up in Buffalo, had a nagging sense of being displaced
- His parents and siblings had darker complexions, were taller and more reserved
- He would not find out that he had been switched at birth until he was aged 70
A man who battled with feelings of isolation throughout his childhood only discovered that he had been switched at birth after his daughter began looking into their family tree.
Andy Perkins, who grew up in Buffalo, New York, said that although his childhood was a happy one there had always been a nagging sense of displacement.
His parents – Jim and Shirley – and siblings all had darker complexions as well as being taller and more reserved, which had always troubled him.
But the father-of-six, who has since moved to Grand Prairie, Texas, would not find out that he had been switched at birth until he was 70 years old.
Andy Perkins, who grew up in Buffalo, New York, said that although his childhood was a happy one there had always been a nagging sense of displacement
Andy (pictured far left with the Perkins family in 1957), who has since moved to Grand Prairie, Texas, would not find out that he had been switched at birth until he was 70 years old
The now 73-year-old told The New York Post: ‘I have always looked different from the rest of my family. It’s caused me problems over the years.’
Andy, who had severe ADHD, revealed the struggle was particularly taxing when he was a teenager and began acting out at school, but said that he was eventually able to push those feelings to one side.
His daughter, Candi Perkins Summers, began researching their family tree in 2015, and, as part of her investigations, she gave both of her parents DNA tests using Ancestry.com.
It was only then that grandfather-of-17 discovered that he was not biologically related to any of his immediate relatives.
Instead, the DNA suggested that he was connected to a whole host of people with the last name Robinson who were scattered across the country.
Speaking about the revelation, Candi told the publication: ‘I looked at the list of DNA matches to my dad’s and I didn’t recognize a single last name. It was odd.’
The father-daughter duo quickly ruled out that he had been adopted and also dismissed the idea that his mother had had an affair.
But it was not until 2020 that they discovered an archived newspaper clipping which would finally give the pair their answers.
A baby named Philip had been born the day before Andy’s own arrival at the same community hospital to parents Harold and Pauline (pictured with Philip)
Sadly, Andy’s biological parents Harold (left) and Pauline (right) had both passed away before he was able to connect with them
Andy was able to connect to his biological siblings – Doug, Sally, Brian (pictured together) and Lisa – in July 2020 who he said had welcomed him ‘with open arms’
The snippet that announced Andy’s birth also made reference further down the page to a boy named Philip who had been born the day before his own arrival at the same community hospital to parents Harold and Pauline.
Candi said it was then that she ‘realized the parents that raised him were not his biological parents.’
She told her father that he was likely switched at birth and, at first, he thought she had been playing a prank.
But, after realizing the truth, the news came as somewhat of a relief to Andy who felt his nagging feeling of isolation had finally been validated.
The child who he had been switched with, Philip, died just weeks after his sixth birthday from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The child who Andy had been switched with, Philip (pictured with Pauline), died just weeks after his sixth birthday from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Andy (pictured in 2021 with Shirley in their last photo together) said that overall his childhood was a happy one
Sadly, Andy’s biological parents had both passed away before he was able to connect with them.
He said: ‘I went to the graveyards of my biological mother and father.
‘I started a grieving process — not only grieving that I never met them but grieving their death. It was an unexpected and difficult thing.’
Andy told DailyMail.com that when he first saw a picture of his biological mother, the resemblance ‘brought him to tears.’
He has since been able to connect to his biological siblings in July 2020 who he said had welcomed him ‘with open arms.’
Andy, who has since changed his name to Robinson-Perkins, concluded: ‘I felt like I found out who I am.
‘I have become closer to my Perkins family and my Robinson family. Many people have no family. I am rich with two wonderful, loving families.’
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