Chris and I communicated via Facebook messenger solidifying our feeling of being siblings, but we needed that scientific evidence to confirm it. Within a few weeks, 23andMe gave us exactly that as he submitted his sample and we confirmed that he and his two brothers were all my half-brothers. Chris and I immediately spoke on the phone that night, excited and nervous, and thanks to timing and location, we all decided to meet in person during my coverage of the Tribeca Film Festival. What happens next is like a dream come true.
Tim and Chris, my brothers (there’s no “half” anymore) live near New York City, while Brian lives in North Carolina. With absolutely no hesitation, Brian and his wife drove the ten hours north and all of them dropped everything to make time to meet. Instantly, we were family. With hugs and laughter, as well as a few happy tears shed on my part, we tried to catch up on five decades of our lives. By the end of the night, hating to part, we decided to hang out again in NYC during the festival and then I would come back to New Jersey for a long weekend to meet the rest of the family; sisters-in-law, “the boys” mom, and lots of nieces and nephews! I was welcomed with open arms filled with love by everyone.
Every day solidified our bond as I got to know these talented, smart, and big-hearted “little” brothers who they say will always have my back. (And I’ll have theirs!) Spending one-on-one time with each of them, I got to know their personalities, each of them very different from the other, but all of them incredibly loving and kind. The weekend ended with a party thrown by their mom whose kindness equaled the sons she raised. Through tears of joy and heartfelt moments, I was home. I belonged.
My story, to me, is an amazing one, but with decades of closed adoptions and hundreds of thousands of babies adopted during that time period, it’s obvious that there are a myriad number of stories just like mine. Thankfully, most adoptions are now open, saving so many from carrying an emotionally heavy load alone.
As a mother, I wish I could thank my biological mother for her sacrifice in giving me to Mom and Dad, who gave me the best life I could have imagined and one that continues to be simply beautiful, filled with new-found family.