Family Gifts Their 29-Year-Old Daughter a DNA Test, Not Knowing the Result Will Lead Them to Court

A family gave their daughter a DNA test for Christmas, but things took a nasty turn when she discovered that her father had nothing in common with her genotypically. Apparently, her mother conceived another man’s child, and the deed led them straight to court.

Childbirth is a fundamental of being living creatures, and not even animals are exempted from the act, which makes sure family generations continue to populate the earth. Sometimes though, something happens, and humans find themselves unable to give birth via natural means. 

Of course, as intelligent as we are, humans found a way around that; however, now and then, mistakes happen. This is a story of a family devastated by one such mistake.

THE GIFT THAT STARTED IT ALL

It was Christmas in 2020 when Jeanine Harvey and her husband, John Harvey, aka Mike, gave their daughter, Jessica Harvey Galloway, a DNA test kit. When they presented her with the gift, the pair could never have imagined what would have come of it.

The test, which was from Ancestry.com, showed that their daughter was not in any way related to Mike, an Italian native. Jessica told “Good Morning America” that:

“We got the results and logged on. There’s Irish, English, German, Welsh, French all these things. And there’s no Italian Sicilian. I mean nothing.” 

THE CRIME SCENE

Three decades before they gave their daughter the gift that revealed that she had no Italian heritage, the Harveys sought the help of Dr. Nicholas J. Spirtos, a doctor at Summa Health System’s Akron Campus in Ohio, on their journey to parenthood. 

He came through for them, and with an IVF, the couple conceived a daughter. The only problem was that her DNA test revealed that her father was a total stranger. Jeanine Harvey told “GMA”:

“It revealed a trauma that I could never have imagined. It’s taken every ounce of my power to remain strong for myself and my family as we try to move forward.” 

“Learning that your entire reality isn’t what you believed it to be is hard to explain,” Mike Harvey also said. “It’s like waking up in someone else’s life.”

The IVF process took place at Summa Health. As a result, the couple is suing the health institution and the doctor who helped them, accusing them of medical malpractice, negligence, and a breach of contract, among other allegations.

RESPONSE TO ALLEGATIONS 

In response to the allegations, Summa Health released a statement that read:

“We are aware of an allegation that has been made claiming in 1991 a patient was artificially inseminated with the semen from a person who is not her husband. We take this allegation seriously and understand the impact this has on the family.” 

When the statement was released, the medical institution claimed that they had not met with the family or done any testing of their own. 

The statement further said: “Given the minimal information that we have and the amount of time that has passed, we hope that the attorneys representing the family will work with us to make that next step a priority.”

Jessica has always been passionate about her genes and Mike’s Italian heritage, and knowing that she has no Italian in her has not quelled that passion. 

On the contrary, she hopes to move past the shocking news and has revealed that her priority is focusing on her family — blood-related or not.