How We Met - Sibling Edition

When I was a tiny baby, my parents adopted me from the West Coast. I grew up in rural New Jersey, where I played soccer, took horseback riding lessons and played manhunt in the neighborhood on hot summer nights. I couldn’t have asked for a better childhood.

Growing up, it was no secret that I was adopted. Although I coincidently looked like my parents, they made sure to introduce the word “adoption” into my vocabulary at a very young age.

Four years after I was born, my birth parents had a second child. Like myself, he was also adopted. Nico was born and raised in the state of New York where he grew up playing sports, excelling in soccer and martial arts. He too, had a great childhood.

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In 2017, Nico received an Ancestry DNA test on Christmas morning. Naturally, he sent in a spit sample, and waiting patiently for the results. He didn’t do much when he received his results because he didn’t match with anyone significant at the time. He was happy to find out his exact heritage, as he didn’t have any information prior.

In February of 2019, I decided that it was time to to learn more about my heritage. Without mentioning this to anyone, I innocently purchased the kit. I received the kit, followed the directions, and sent it back.

About six weeks passed, and I received a text message alert, “Your AncestryDNA results are in!” I was eager to finally see if I really was Irish. Little did I know, my life was about to dramatically change, (for the better!)

Under “Immediate Family” I had one match. I stared at my screen in disbelief, “how is this possible?” I saw a small question mark icon, I clicked on it. It brought up a “possible relationship chart”.

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Nico and I share 2,520 CM’s, meaning we are full siblings. We share enough CM’s and DNA strands, that would could be fraternal twins if we were the same age.

So, what did I do next? Message him of course.

Nico responded in less than 12 hours. Both of us were under the impression that we were the only child born from the same parents, so you can imagine the confusion and shock. We spoke every day for a month, asking each other questions, comparing our toe thumbs and pale skin.

We decided it was time to finally meet.

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The next week, Nico and I planned a brunch with our moms. The brunch went on for so long, we actually got kicked out of the restaurant (in the most polite way). Note: Nico and I did not plan to match.

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I couldn’t be more thankful to have a brother in my life. I am so excited for this new relationship. More to come, cheers! And guess what… We’re Irish!

Below you can find side by side photos of us growing up.