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FARGO — Kjiesta Moch remembers the moment she got the news in an Instagram message.
It was from a woman that she didn't know. A woman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"And I immediately was like, 'Nope, I don't fall for Instagram scams. This is totally fake,'" Kjiesta said.
The message said her biological father wanted to meet her.
"Not real. Well, why would it be real? I had parents," Kjiesta said.
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Turns out, that Instagram message was accurate. Back in 1990, Kjiesta was born in Minot. A man by the name of Lon was the father. Kjiesta's mom married another man and the two raised her, but according to Kjiesta, they never told her about the man named Lon, her biological father, who moved to Pittsburgh.
"I really hit the floor, screaming the word 'no' over and over because I was like, 'This isn't real,'" Kjiesta said. "I'm literally 31 years old, and I'm just finding out that who I thought I was — who I am — isn't who I am," Kjiesta said.
But a few days ago, Kjiesta's biological father and his wife drove from Pittsburgh to Fargo and the two met.
"(T)he eye contact, was like, honestly it was just a breath of fresh air, I don't know, I can't explain it really, but you just know," Kjiesta said. "Like, OK, I do very much look like that person. We are related and (...) it was a relief, like, this is real, he is real, they are here."
Now there are plans for Kjiesta and her family to head east this summer.
