Fete Lifestyle Magazine May 2019 - Inspiring Women and Moms | Page 38

As a mother myself, I can only imagine the heartache in making such a decision and in 1964, the year in which I was born, all adoptions were closed, allowing neither child nor parent information about one another. That year alone, over 160,000 babies were given up for adoption with the records under lock and key, seemingly forever.

Thanks to two popular entities, one scientific, the other social media, I, like millions of others, have unlocked the proverbial box and released a beautiful glut of information leading me to learn of 3 half-brothers on my paternal side and 1 half-sister on my maternal side. All of this made possible by a vial filled with a little of my saliva that was sent to 23andMe, plus a little research on Facebook.

Learning of these half-siblings came more than a year after getting my results from 23andMe. Coincidentally, on my birthday of this year, a day which has always come with mixed emotions to me, I received two email notifications. One from a first cousin on my biological father’s side, meaning we shared a set of grandparents, and one from my maternal side, a name I knew, related to a classmate from elementary and high school. The coincidences don’t stop there and I knew that the answers to the identity of my birth parents were right around the corner.

Over the next three weeks, my husband, who prides himself on solving puzzles, had a complicated one before him. Between his adroit skill in navigating Ancestry.com and researching connections through Facebook paired with a couple emails sent and phone calls made, I was in touch with someone we suspected could be my half-brother; Chris. Again, Facebook helped create what would be a positive life-changing interaction as Chris accepted my friend request and the moment I saw his profile picture, I knew he was my brother. He had the same eyes as me, the same line through the tip of his nose, and the same chin. Delving further, I saw my son’s arms and forehead. He was family, there was no doubt. But what was most memorable was this primal connection to someone I had never met. I felt a sadness and even an anger that I didn’t know existed, simply melt away. A missing piece of my soul was filled, and I felt complete.