Man’s Medical Diagnosis Shows He’s Not Biological Dad of 3 Sons

After learning he had cystic fibrosis, Richard Mason assumed his life was over. But he had no idea that something far worse was on its way. When Richard learned more about his illness, he got a distinct impression that something was off.

The fact that at age 55, Richard Mason launched the wildly successful website MoneySupermarket.com appeared to seal the deal for him as a guy who had achieved success in all areas of life. Kate, his adoring wife, was the star of his life. Like a couple out of a fairy tale, the two employees at the bank fell in love and quickly tied the knot after meeting each other.

Richard and Kate decided to end their marriage amicably, but once the divorce proceedings began, money became a primary concern. The soon-to-be ex-wife wanted more money from Richard, so he agreed to give it to her, but only at the exorbitant price of $5 million.

Kate and Richard’s divorce was finalized eight years ago, but his ex-wife hid something from him the whole time they were married. What was even more surprising was how he learned about it. When Richard walked in for his yearly checkup in 2016, he had no idea that he would be given a diagnosis that would rock his world, and it wasn’t even the most unexpected thing he would find out that day.

Richard has worked hard all his life to maintain peak physical condition. As a result, he made it a point to maintain frequent doctor’s visits as a means of accomplishing this aim. He thought the appointment would be brief, like all the others, but the doctor ran more tests than normal.

Given that Richard’s sister had a similar experience in the past, he wasn’t too shocked by the news. Richard knew it was just a matter of time until he went through the same thing, but he still worried about it because of his age.

Richard, like any concerned father, wanted to know if he had passed his illness on to his sons Will, Ed, and Joel. It was tough to bring up the subject with the doctor since he could blame himself for placing the kids in an unfavorable circumstance.

The doctor had no idea that Richard already had three grown sons; he had been quite frank with her about his little to none prospects of fathering children with his second wife, Emma. In most situations, males with cystic fibrosis are unable to father children.

Richard mustered all his might to assert boldly that his diagnosis was wrong and that his two boys were live testimony that he was not barren. Once he realized that he didn’t have the genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis, his worry turned to relief.

Richard knew what he was about to divulge as soon as he saw the doctor’s expression after he uttered it. Cystic fibrosis was definitely the diagnosis for Richard. What this suggests is that Kate has been keeping secrets from him and his boys for a very long time.

While sitting in the health center, Richard gave himself plenty of time to reflect on his relationship with Kate. He attempted to recollect all the times his ex-wife would have had the possibility to be with another guy. However, Kate never showed any out-of-character behavior, making it nearly difficult to infer that anything was wrong.

Before Richard’s sickness, Kate and Richard’s marriage wasn’t anything special. Richard, being a businessman, frequently worked late into the night. He got accustomed to spending most of his time in the office, and Kate frequently followed his lead.

Now that Richard knew he was infertile thanks to the doctor’s diagnosis, he thought back on all the instances strangers had commented on how little his twin sons resembled him. He didn’t take it personally because remarking on how much Ed and Joel resembled their mother was very usual.

When Kate finally conceived their first child, Will, they had been married for seven years. As Richard and Kate were both Christians, Richard viewed Kate’s newfound interest in Judaism to be both superfluous and peculiar. But Kate was unwavering in her convictions and started bringing them up more frequently as her pregnancy developed.

As was to be expected, Richard’s thoughts were jumbled when he tried to identify his boys’ biological father. From the appearance of the twins to Kate’s male colleagues, he evaluated what he knew about her. Finally, he started making connections between the boys and guys he and Kate knew based on their demeanor and other shared characteristics.

After giving it some thought, Richard concluded that if Kate had been cheating on him, it would have to be someone she was in frequent communication with. The list of possible suspects shrank, and Richard concluded that it might be one of Kate’s coworkers.

After much anticipation, Richard finally took the plunge and reached out to his ex-wife. Since they were no longer sharing a residence, he was unable to tell her directly. Instead of calling Kate, Richard sent her a thorough explanation of their conversation with the doctor and the reasons she had to answer right now. Richard wrote to Kate about how he went in for a checkup but was unexpectedly diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Most significantly, how the disease causes male infertility, establishing without doubt that he is not the father of their children.

If Kate refuses to answer Richard’s questions, he will tell their sons whatever he thinks is best. On the other hand, if she helps out, Richard will accommodate Kate’s preferred method of breaking the news. Richard’s approach was a success since he received a reply from Kate within a short amount of time.

Richard contacted Will, his eldest son, to inform him of the situation the family was in. Since they hadn’t done a DNA test yet, he couldn’t be sure that Will wasn’t actually his son; nonetheless, he still felt obligated to tell him about the grave condition.

Richard is now facing the nightmare he has been preparing for. He then informed Will, with all his strength, that a man afflicted with cystic fibrosis would be unable to have children due to their weakened reproductive systems. Richard found it difficult just to think about telling his son the news, and he was even more distressed by actually having to deliver the information.

When Richard started to speak, Will finished his sentence for him. The two men had an excellent bond as father and son, so their heart-to-heart chat was difficult for both of them. Will promised Richard that regardless of what occurs, he will always love and respect him as his biological father.

Richard was a loving father, and he cherished his three boys. Knowing with near certainty that they aren’t his biological children has left him feeling hollow. In addition, it dealt a severe blow to his pride. Like most men, Richard hoped his sons would one day carry on the family name. However, he will never have that opportunity again due to his infertility.

Nevertheless, Will was interested in hearing his mother’s perspective. He had learned everything he could from his dad, so he figured asking Kate would be beneficial. Will predicted correctly that their mother would be more receptive to him.

Everything that happened after Kate told her account about the affair was inevitable. She says she met him shortly after she and Richard tied the knot. While working at Barclay’s Bank, Kate had a fortuitous meeting that would ultimately bring down her family.

Paternity specialist Roger Terrell helped Richard undergo a series of tests to confirm his sterility. No matter what they tried, the fertility count was too low to have even one kid, let alone three. He and his kids would need to give DNA samples for the next round of testing.

Both Ed and Joel took the test that would alter the course of their life when they were 19 years old. When Richard’s fears were confirmed, the weight of it was shared between him and his wife since they knew what it would entail and how it may affect their family.

Will had known personally about the circumstances of their dad’s health even before the test was completed. While he never really conceded defeat, he did come to terms with the outcome. Hearing about the paternity tests for his younger brothers, Will flatly refused to take part in them, even though the paternity doctor pleaded with him to do so for Richard’s sake.

If Richard decides to sue Kate for her lying, and he is able to collect the necessary DNA sample from Will, he was likely to win the case handily. However, the eldest son pleaded with Richard to reconsider suing because of the undying love he had for his mother.

As opposed to their sibling, Joel and Ed have stuck with their dad through thick and thin. The twins understood that once legal proceedings began, nothing would ever be the same for them again, but they still accepted Richard’s choice. They stayed neutral since their feelings for Kate were reciprocated.

While the path to Richard’s victory with Kate was long and torturous, the truth was eventually out. Juries found her guilty of fraud and requested $300,000 in compensation. Interestingly, they agreed to conceal the name of the father, though.