COVID spikes surge in search for birth parents and disconnected relatives

[Krystal] Myers, 34, grew up in Freeport, Long Island with her mother, and still lives near there. When she was 8, Myers’s mother had told her her father’s name — a common one — but little else about him, and Myers never pursued it further… But as covid-19 began to rampage through the country and hit her, she was seized with a new urgency to find him.

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Myers isn’t alone in searching for a birth parent during this time of scary upheaval caused by the novel coronavirus, either to finally make a connection and fill a blank in the past, or to learn more about their health history. BirthParentFinder.com, for instance, says it has taken on 88 new cases since March 16, helped with 58 reunions, either in person or virtually and fielded 803 new inquiries, more than double from the same period the year before.

“People are saying, ‘We have nothing to lose now,’ ” said Jay Rosenzweig, who created and runs the company. Birthparents, even those who didn’t know they had kids or might not have wanted to be found, also may be more open to connecting.

In July, [Myers’] husband and her birth father helped plan a surprise birthday party for her, where she met her half sister and her father’s wife.

“I have found the silver lining during this pandemic,” she said. “Truly a dream come true.”

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