Emily MacDonald, who tracked down her biological father after losing her mother as a toddler, is now helping others do the same. She met Ivor MacDonald for the first time in 2016, and he died in June this year from a muscle wasting disease, aged 71.
A Facebook Message That Changed Everything
Emily, originally from Gosforth, Newcastle, used a genetic testing website and discovered relatives on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. She posted a picture of her mother, Isobel Turner, to an Isle of Lewis Facebook group. A man called Ivor MacDonald, then 60, messaged her, and she discovered he was her dad.
They spent 10 years together before his death. Emily, who now lives in Stanley, County Durham, said: "When you don't know either of your biological parents and you're lucky enough to find one still alive in your 30s, it's a gift. He was over the moon to have found me."
How She Found Him
Emily, who has six children and works as a probate researcher, became fascinated with family trees at a young age. In 2016, via the website 23andMe, she found DNA relatives from the Isle of Lewis. Her mother, a psychiatric nurse, had worked on the island.
She ordered a copy of the electoral register for the year before she was born, received a list of 80 males, and looked through Facebook to see if any looked like her. She also posted a photo of her mother in a Facebook group for the island.
Emily said: "My real dad saw it and the midwife who delivered me also saw it! My mum was English so she stood out on the island."
Their First Meeting
Emily travelled to the island that week and headed to Lower Bayble. As she drove across the causeway, her dad messaged for the first time. She said: "The message said 'Hi Emily, you asked about your mum. I remember the first time I saw her.' I dropped my phone as I knew straight away that was somebody who'd had their heart broken."
They met a week later, and he confirmed he was her dad through a DNA test. Emily also met his wife Linda, her granny Eva, who died in 2021 aged 89, and her brother Lee, 33. She moved to the Isle of Lewis for a year with her family and made a family tree book for Eva.
Ivor, a former labourer, was diagnosed with Inclusion body myositis (IBM). He lost the use of his legs and was cared for at home before he passed away in June surrounded by his family.
Emily said: "We all saw each other regularly and, even though my dad's passed away, my brother and I are very close. For me it was a really healing experience."
Emily now voluntarily helps others find their relatives, sometimes acting as an intermediary. She said: "I look at it from the child's prospective. If I can help that child piece together their family tree, that is hugely rewarding for me."
