On Christmas day, Jeanine and John Harvey, also known as Mike, gave their daughter Jessica Harvey Galloway, 29, a DNA test kit from Ancestry.com. However, they were surprised to discover that the test did not show any Italian Sicilian ancestry, which meant that Jessica was not biologically related to Mike, who has Italian heritage. The test showed that Jessica had Irish, English, German, Welsh, and French ancestry, but no Italian Sicilian ancestry.
Jeanine and Mike sought the assistance of Dr. Nicholas J. Spirtos at Summa Health System’s Akron Campus in Ohio three decades ago to conceive their daughter through IVF.
However, a DNA test taken by their daughter Jessica using a home testing kit from Ancestry.com revealed that her biological father was not Mike, who is of Italian descent, but an unknown person. This was a traumatic experience for Jeanine, who is trying to remain strong for herself and her family and move forward.
Mike described the experience as feeling like waking up in someone else’s life, realizing that their entire reality was not what they believed it to be.
The Harvey family has filed a lawsuit against the hospital and doctor, alleging medical malpractice, negligence, and breach of contract.
The case was taken up by the law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway and WiSE, LLP of Cleveland, and according to one of their lawyers, Adam Wolf, it is impossible to undo what has already happened. However, they hope to hold the hospital and doctor accountable for their actions and raise awareness to prevent such negligence from happening to others. The goal is to ensure that no other families have to experience what the Harveys have gone through.
Summa Health has acknowledged the accusation that a patient from 1991 was allegedly inseminated with a stranger’s semen rather than her husband’s, and has stated that they take the allegation seriously and understand the impact it has had on the family.
However, they have not yet met with the family or conducted any testing of their own. The hospital has expressed hope that the attorneys representing the family will work with them to prioritize the next steps. Jessica, despite being shocked by the DNA results and her father’s Italian heritage, has decided to focus on her family and move forward with her life.
