When people take a home DNA test, they’re usually hoping to find out more about their background and perhaps connect with an unknown relative or two. Granted, you might end up finding out more than you expect.
That’s what happened to one Toronto man who discovered a family secret and 35 half-siblings.
Tomaschoff’s Parents Never Intended to Reveal the Truth
“At 31, Noam Tomaschoff learned that the man he had grown up calling his father was not his biological father and that he had been conceived using a sperm donor,” CTV News reported on Monday, Nov. 2. “But that was only the beginning of the surprises.”
During a chat with CTV’s “Your Morning,” Tomaschoff explained why he decided to take the test in the first place, saying that he was motivated by “absolutely nothing other than the fact that it was on sale.”
When Tomaschoff’s parents found out about the test, they insisted on speaking to him before his results arrived. He told CTV, “They sat me down together, and we were on the table, and we all held hands, and this is when I knew something was wrong.”
“The reaction was total surprise,” he admitted while recalling how he felt after his parents revealed the truth. “I was shocked.”
Prior to the test, Tomaschoff’s parents had no intention of telling him the full story behind how he was conceived, which was believed to be the best course of action when he was born.
Although Tomaschoff’s newfound knowledge would have been enough to wrap his head around, the DNA test results revealed that he had 15 previously unknown close relatives. When he joined other platforms, he found even more half-siblings — making it at least 35 — and has even connected with and regularly sees one who lives nearby.
Tomaschoff Turned the ‘Secret’ Into a Musical
When Tomaschoff first learned that he had been conceived using a sperm donor, he explained to CTV that his initial impulse was to share the news with his friends. However, that wasn’t enough, and he recalls thinking, “I need to tell somebody. I need to tell this story.”
Eventually, that impulse turned into a theatrical production that can now be seen onstage.
When Tomaschoff opened up about his idea to bring what had happened to him before audiences, he ran the possibility by high school friends, Ryan Peters and Russell Citron. The three men decided to work together, with Citron telling Tomaschoff, “This should be a musical.”
Now, the story is, indeed, a musical called “Our Little Secret: A True New Musical.”
“What does a 31-year old theatre kid do when he finds out his parents aren’t quite who he thinks they are? Write a musical, of course! OUR LITTLE SECRET is the hilarious, moving, and completely true story of Noam Tomaschoff’s discovery that he wasn’t an only child, and he actually had more than 35 siblings around the world,” according to the show’s website. “Blending comedy, drama, and addictive music, OUR LITTLE SECRET will leave you laughing, crying — and seeing your family in a whole new light.”
“Our Little Secret: A True New Musical” runs from Tuesday, Nov. 3 to Sunday, Nov. 22, at Toronto’s CAA Theatre.
DNA Test Leads Man To Find 35 Half-Siblings