JUNEAU (AP) – A Petersburg woman who was adopted found her biological brother through the genetic testing company 23andMe.
Sara Hadad-Dembs received a Facebook message recently from a man in Illinois that read, “Hi, I know this is super out of the blue, but I think I’m your brother,” the Juneau Empire reported March 4.
Hadad-Dembs had received a 23andMe test kit from her adoptive brother in 2019. The man who ended up being her birth brother received a DNA test kit as a birthday present about a year later.
In December, Hadad-Dembs received an email from 23andMe that a new relative had been identified. Shortly afterward, the Facebook message from her biological brother arrived.
“When I sat down and talked to him, it was clear that he is so close to me,”‘ Hadad-Dembs said. “We are the closest genetically related. For him, it was really strange. He’s never known anyone that looked like him before.”
Their personalities and perspectives were very similar, Hadad-Dembs said. “We connected.”
In February, Hadad-Dembs traveled to Chicago to meet her biological brother. While there, she hung out with him and their biological sisters. Together, they created a TikTok that memorialized the moment.
“Be aware there are so many dynamics when you do meet,” Hadad-Dembs said. “It’s a rollercoaster. But do it and find out. I know more about me now. It’s good to know where you came from. It finishes the story.”
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