Dixon Handshaw is receiving what he calls his “Christmas miracle” this holiday — a family he never knew existed.
The 75-year-old Handshaw was adopted as a baby and grew up thinking he was an only child.
“All my life, I dreamed about having siblings somewhere,” he told WHAM.
Several months ago, Handshaw ordered his pre-adoption birth certificate and was stunned to learn that he has a half-sister and five half-brothers. He reached out to his oldest brother, Gary Romig, knowing that his phone call was going to come as a shock.
“I was eating my lunch in my car at a job site, and I got a phone call and I didn’t recognize the number. I hardly ever answer the phone if I don’t recognize the number. But for some reason, I answered it,” Romig said. “And he says, ‘Hi, my name is Dixon. Are you Gary Romig?’ I said, ‘I am.’ He goes, ‘I’m your brother,’ and I’m like, ‘What?'”
“My biggest hesitancy was I didn’t want to intrude on people,” Handshaw added. “I didn’t know whether they would be happy that I was around or not. And, thanks to Gary over there, he was the first one I called.”
After speaking with Romig, Handshaw sent him a photo, which Romig shared with the rest of their siblings. Handshaw’s resemblance to their father was unmistakable.
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To Handshaw’s joy, the family welcomed him with open arms, and both Romig and sister Wendy Gell were on hand to greet him at the Rochester airport when he flew in to meet them.
“It’s so special because he’s very emotional and excited and can’t believe that we are opening him, opening our arms to him and welcoming him to [the] family,” said Gell.
Over the weekend, Handshaw was able to meet many more of his family members — 52 in total — at a family reunion.
“I’ve never felt such an outpouring of unconditional love in my whole life,” he told ABC News. “This was my Christmas miracle, landing in that airport and meeting my family for the first time after 75 years.”
“I’m not going to waste any time having this new family,” Handshaw added. “I couldn’t be happier.”
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