Infertility doctor secretly fathered dozens of children: how strangers became family

I'm Ayesha Roscoe, and this is a Sunday story from Up First. Earlier this year, eight siblings gathered at a beachfront resort in Fort Lauderdale for a reunion. Good to see you. Come on. Like some families, this one makes t shirts. For the reunion. Rina, a retired college professor, hands them out. Can someone take a picture of Joe with his t shirt? The t shirt features a photo of the sibling's father. He's a bald man with glass Rather pleasant picture. Thin lips, of course. This is Gil Brodsky, another sibling. He reads the speech bubble next to his father's mouth. Says Gilbert was my favorite. A t shirt is a joke in more ways than one. Gil never knew his biological father, neither did anyone else at the table, including his half sister, Dina Harris. I don't know him. I mean, I think he was a bit eccentric, so who knows? I mean, it must have been sitting somewhere in his mind that what he did was odd. Until a decade ago, none of these siblings knew any of the others existed. And yet, here they are at a family reunion, but not like one you've ever heard of. This is the story of a secret family, a group of strangers who uncovered a decades old deception, then out of that built genuine family connections, turning what could have been a catastrophe into something affirming and meaningful. NPR's Frank Langfitt spent the last year interviewing 18 members of this unique family. This is the first time they're telling their story. This week on the Sunday story, one family strange creation tale and what it says about the bonds that unite us. And just a quick warning, this episode does mention thoughts of suicide. This message comes from NPR sponsor, Shopify. No idea where to sell? Shopify puts you in control of every sales channel. It is the commerce platform revolutionizing millions of businesses worldwide. Whether you're a garage entrepreneur or IPO ready, Shopify is the only tool you need to start, run, and grow your business without the struggle. Once you've reached your audience, Shopify has the Internet's best converting checkout to help you turn them from browsers to buyers. Go to shopify.com/npr to take your business to the next level today. This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees, and free perks, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at mintmobile.com/switch. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. One year ago, Congress eliminated over a billion dollars in funding for public media, yet We, The People, haven't backed down. When you donate to the independent nonprofits that make up the NPR network, we hold the powerful to account together. It's the kind of journalism democracy requires that we, the public, must protect. Join the community of people who power this work at +.npr.org. We're back with the Sunday story with our episode about a …