A sudden interest in Elvis music is the last thing Melonie Dodaro thought she’d find while searching for her birth father.

But that’s just one of the surprises the Kelowna, B.C. resident has encountered since deciding to try once again, at the age of 46, to track down the man who helped bring her into the world.

This time, Dodaro decided to reach out using the skills she’s acquired as a social media consultant. She put together a video, shared it on Facebook, and watched it go viral.

“I’m putting something out there that I never in a million years thought I would,” she said in the clip. “I’ve never met my biological father.”

She explained that her mom got pregnant as a teenager, and that her father was a visitor to Canada from the Netherlands. She shared his name, Cees De Jong, but learned it might not be of much help narrowing down her search.

“Some Dutch people said basically, ‘Good luck. Do you know that’s the most common Dutch name? It’s like John Smith in North America,’” Dodaro told CTV News.

But the video quickly racked up nearly 30,000 views, and within 48 hours of posting it Dodaro was contacted by a magazine editor in the Netherlands.

That contact led to a phone call from the man himself. Within 72 hours, a lifelong mystery had been solved.

“I think social media has opened doors that we’ve never had before,” Dodaro said.

She’s now looking forward to meeting him in Asia. As it turns out, the man with the common name has led a very uncommon life.

De Jong was something of a rock star, with several movie appearances under his belt, and is currently living in a mansion in Thailand, where he lives and works as an Elvis impersonator.

“He’s got a couple of guest houses on his property so it’s like, bonus! We’ve got a place to stay,” Dodaro said.

One of her greatest hopes in the search – that she might have more siblings – also came true. Her biological father has two younger children, Elvis and Priscilla, who are looking forward to meeting their big sister.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Kent Molgat

 

 

HELP, I need your assistance in locating my biological father.Social media is a great tool for spreading a message and I need your help in spreading my personal message.I've never met my biological father and quite often am overwhelmed with curiosity who he is and if I have any other siblings.Please watch this video and help me spread the word, my hope is with your help and the power of social media that I will solve this mystery that's plagued my life, all of my life!His name is Cees de Jong, born March 2, 1946/47 (or maybe even 1948). Born I think in Zwolle, Netherlands. Was in Canada early 1968, then left to go to Sydney Australia. I'm not sure what country he currently lives in.For more details please read: http://topdogsocialmedia.com/find-my-dad-Cees-Dejong/

Posted by Melonie Dodaro on Saturday, May 30, 2015