NEW ORLEANS — At 61 years old, Anna Taylor has always known she was adopted.
“I’ve always been told, ever since I was little,” said Taylor.
What she didn’t’ know was who were her birthparents.
“The only thing I was ever told is that my dad was Italian, and they were fairly young,” said Taylor.
Thanks to a DNA kit for Christmas, curiosity and extra time on her hands during the coronavirus pandemic, Taylor and her daughter began researching back in March.
“We really didn’t know what we were doing,” said Taylor
After months of work, phone calls and some dead ends, Taylor, who lives in Texas, tracked down her parents, both alive and well. Her 85-year-old mother lives in Connecticut. Her 87-year-old dad, a navy veteran, lives at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home in Reserve. Living in the New Orleans area at the time, the two split up before Taylor was born.
“It was like I’m whole, like my life is complete now. It’s wonderful, a lot of emotions,” said Taylor when asked about finding her biological parents.
Those emotions also come with frustrations thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Like so many families across Louisiana, Taylor is unable to visit her father because of restrictions at nursing homes. She also hasn’t met her mom because of travel concerns but has connected with her virtually.
“I want to start building a relationship with them, and I can’t do it without meeting them,” said Taylor.
That didn’t stop Taylor from making a trip to New Orleans in late May, where she was able to meet her half-sister and cousins for the first time.
After hearing about the story, the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home is now working on a plan to allow Taylor’s dad, who’s also a coronavirus survivor, a family pass to be able to meet a part of him that’s been missing for more than six decades.
“I really don’t know what I’m going to say, just have to wait until the conversation happens,” said Taylor.
Taylor and her half-sister have a virtual call with their dad set up for this Friday. That will be the first time Taylor and her dad have seen or spoken to each other.
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