‘Born all over again!’: Father, daughter reflect on meeting for the first time

By Arianne Brown

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    AMERICAN FORK, Utah (KSL) — She was his only biological daughter, and he spent years searching for her in hopes that one day he’d meet her. That day came a year ago, and since then, Danny Parsons and Aimee Holmes have been making up for lost time with a new lease on life.

It’s a Father’s Day story, really, with a happy ending that doubles as a new beginning.

Holmes, who was adopted as a baby 39 years ago and who currently lives in American Fork, said she grew up in a loving home with parents who gave her “all the tools to navigate this life,” yet she felt there was still a piece missing.

“I’ve always had so much love, and I’ve never really felt out of place honestly, and I had friends,” Holmes said. “(My adoptive parents) gave us love and hope, and it’s been a blessing with my family. But growing up in Utah, there weren’t a lot of people who looked like me.”

Holmes, who is of African American descent, said she really started searching for her birth parents after she got married.

“I’ve been searching for a long time,” Holmes said. “I’ve been married for almost 20 years in August, and I tried through social media and other records. My birth dad is not listed on my adoption papers from the hospital, so that made it hard.”

Several states over, in Waco, Texas, Danny Parsons had all but given up hope that he would ever be able to meet his daughter.

“It’s been a long time, you know what I’m sayin’?” Parsons said. “You just do so much, and then you just give up on it. One day, I just figured one of these days she might pop up or something. Just keep hoping.”

Parsons explained that he wasn’t aware that Holmes had been born until the adoption was complete, and for all those years he knew he had a daughter out there, but had no way of finding her.

Holmes explained that she was able to connect with her birth mother years ago, but not in person. That connection allowed her to learn her birth father’s name. And while the name she was given was Danny Pearson, instead of Parsons, it was that little clue that led to one thing and then to another.

“My husband Kelly actually found my cousin Damien on Ancestry, and he reached out to him for me,” Holmes said. “He planned a surprise phone call, and we just started talking.”

That surprise phone call wouldn’t be the only surprise. In May of 2021, Holmes was featured on an episode of BYU TV’s “Random Acts” where she met Parsons for the first time. Both Holmes and Parsons said meeting one another was exactly what they had hoped for.

Holmes was excited to meet someone who looked like her, but was surprised to find how alike they were. Parsons had the same sentiments.

“It feels like I have discovered a whole side of myself, and a bigger family and heritage I never knew I had,” Holmes said. “I have always fit in and been loved, and that’s been a blessing. But being around my dad who I look like, I’m discovering more about myself.”

Parsons said that he was surprised at how much Homes looks and acts like him.

“Ah, yeah, she’s my twin” Parsons said. “Everybody says she’s my twin. We look alike a lot. She loves to play sports like me. I played basketball and baseball all my life. When I was small I played little league. I won a lot of trophies and stuff. I was raised in sports. I know she loves sports and lifting weights like I do. She’s an athlete.”

Both Holmes and Parsons said that meeting one another has given them a renewed sense of life.

“I just feel like it’s just so motivating,” Holmes said. “I have loved being able to share things with my dad — things that I learned. Being on a soccer team.”

Holmes, who is a former collegiate athlete, has kept up many of her skills as an athlete, particularly soccer. And, at the age of (almost 40), with four children to boot, Holmes is on a semi-pro soccer team.

And while comparing features, backgrounds, likes and dislikes has been part of the union of this father and daughter, they both said that it has mostly been about bringing families together.

“There’s just more love to go around!” Holmes said. “To be able to be included in their family. It’s like, oh my gosh, I have more family! And this African American culture that I didn’t really know a lot about growing up. Everyone has been so loving and welcoming.”

“And the kids have been so excited. They say, ‘We have another grandpa, and he looks just like you mom, and he’s so nice!’ It’s been really cool for them to be around my birth dad. He’s so awesome with them. My parents want to meet Danny. They said they’d celebrate me if I met my family, and said they’d be our family too.”

While Parson may have missed out on the first 39 years of his daughter’s life, he said that he, too, feels like this is a new beginning.

“It was really exciting for her and me. We were really happy. Just like she’d been born all over again!” Parson said. “She turned out to be a great kid, a great lady. She’s real responsible and takes care of her kids. Couldn’t ask for a better daughter.”

Parson currently resides in Waco, Texas, and says that he hopes to find a way to come back out to Utah this summer to spend more time with his new extended family.

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