<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27061" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HCM-300x272.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="272" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HCM-300x272.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HCM.jpg 472w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Starting today, 23andMe <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/">Health + Ancestry Service</a> customers can access a new Health Community page, focused on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common form of inherited heart disease.
<h6>Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)</h6>
The new HCM Health Community page offers customers information and resources on this condition, which in most cases is caused by genetic variants that make the heart contract too much. As a result, the heart muscle becomes thickened and stiff, which can make it less efficient at pumping blood.

Symptoms of HCM can vary from person to person, but may include shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, fainting, rapid or fluttering heartbeat and chest pain. HCM is one of the most common causes of sudden cardiac death in young people, but most people with HCM develop symptoms in mid-life that worsen as they get older.
“23andMe is committed to supporting individuals who may suffer from under-diagnosed conditions,” said Ruth Tennen, Ph.D., a Product Scientist at 23andMe. “We have thousands of 23andMe customers that have self-reported having HCM and see this as an important opportunity to educate our customers about this condition, and to provide those affected by the condition with links to resources and information to help them better manage it.”
<h6>Health Community Page</h6>
As with all Health Community pages, the information isn’t based on genetic data. Rather, it incorporates survey answers from 23andMe research participants to provide information about the condition. It also includes HCM research and statistics, and links to other resources.
As part of the HCM community, 23andMe customers who have consented to participate in research will have the opportunity to contribute to HCM research. In the future the HCM community page will reflect data from this research project including things like the average age of onset for the condition.
<h6>MyoKardia</h6>
This community page is part of a collaboration with MyoKardia to advance research into HCM.
While MyoKardia is sponsoring the page, 23andMe is responsible for its final content. 23andMe is committed to providing our customers with scientifically and medically unbiased information about health conditions.
As with all <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/health-conditions-and-the-wisdom-of-the-crowd/">23andMe Health Community pages,</a> the information and recommendations included are based on peer-reviewed publications which meet high standards of scientific accuracy. MyoKardia is pioneering a precision medicine approach to discover and develop new treatments for serious cardiovascular diseases, including HCM.
“HCM is a chronic, progressive condition that can have a debilitating effect on daily living and carries the risk of serious co-morbidities such as atrial fibrillation and heart failure,&#8221; said Richey Neuman, M.D., MPH, FACP, Vice President, Medical Advancement at MyoKardia. &#8220;Unfortunately, HCM is currently underdiagnosed and a number of misperceptions exists,”
MyoKardia is committed to expanding knowledge of HCM and its treatment – for patients and their families, physicians and researchers,&#8221; said Dr. Neuman.
&#8220;That’s one reason we’re excited to be collaborating with 23andMe to bring their customers with HCM an educational resource where they can get reliable information,&#8221; he said.
In addition, the hope is that it will offer those same individuals an opportunity to opt in to participate in research. That research may help generate a greater understanding of this frequently overlooked condition, Dr. Neuman said.
<h6>HCM Research</h6>
As part of the collaboration, 23andMe has launched a customer survey intended to collect baseline data. In addition, the intent is to follow-up to collect longitudinal data from those who choose to participate. The survey will reach more than 9,000 23andMe customers who have self-reported an HCM diagnosis. 23andMe researchers, along with researchers from MyoKardia, intend to study this set of de-identified, population-scale phenotypic and genotypic data. The aim is to gain unique insights into this condition for the purposes of understanding the patient experience and genetic prevalence of HCM. MyoKardia will only have access to aggregate results, not individual-level customer data.
The new HCM Health Community page is part of a collection of common health conditions. The page offers 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service customers and opportunity to learn more about conditions and participate in research.
Launched last year, there are now 19 of these Health Community pages. The conditions include such things as depression, Parkinson’s disease, migraine, insomnia, endometriosis and more.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

23andMe Adds Condition to Health Communities

Mom, I’m not the best poet and I know you know it, but here’s my rhyme, I’ll try not to blow it.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/We-Love-Mom-Genes-300x193.png" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27052" width="300" height="193" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/We-Love-Mom-Genes-300x193.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/We-Love-Mom-Genes.png 434w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
&nbsp;
I am grateful for the traits you gave me — my eyes, curly hair, and even <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/too-many-teardrops/">crying easily</a>.
&nbsp;
I appreciate all the many little things — a preference to listen, but not the allergy to azithromycin.
&nbsp;
You always have been so <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/new-study-finds-genetic-associations-for-neuroticism/">conscientious</a>, a paragon of caring and unpretentiousness.
&nbsp;
Then there’s your uncanny ability, to <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/23andme-scientists-to-present-new-findings/">match a musical pitch </a>with such agility.
&nbsp;
Maybe I should have kept this simple, and only thanked you for my dimple.
&nbsp;
But all this is to say, I love you and wish you a Happy Mother’s Day.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mothers-Day-Infographic-and-Blog-Final-kc_BLOG-External.png" alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-27072 size-full" width="875" height="3095" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mothers-Day-Infographic-and-Blog-Final-kc_BLOG-External.png 875w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mothers-Day-Infographic-and-Blog-Final-kc_BLOG-External-85x300.png 85w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mothers-Day-Infographic-and-Blog-Final-kc_BLOG-External-768x2717.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mothers-Day-Infographic-and-Blog-Final-kc_BLOG-External-249x880.png 249w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mothers-Day-Infographic-and-Blog-Final-kc_BLOG-External-334x1180.png 334w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 875px) 100vw, 875px" />

An Ode To Mom Genes

After an audit by the Internet Society’s Online Trust Alliance (OTA), 23andMe was honored for protection, security and privacy of customer data. 23andMe was named to the OTA “Honor Roll” overall, and ranked #1 in the Healthcare category. The OTA published the results earlier this month. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ota_honor_roll_2018-300x265.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27056" width="300" height="265" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ota_honor_roll_2018-300x265.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ota_honor_roll_2018-768x678.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ota_honor_roll_2018-1024x904.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ota_honor_roll_2018-880x777.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ota_honor_roll_2018-1180x1042.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ota_honor_roll_2018.jpg 1500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
The Honor Roll is the OTA’s de facto standard for recognizing excellence in consumer protection, security, and responsible privacy practices for the world’s top companies. 
“Protecting the privacy and security of our customers’ data is at the core of what we do here at 23andMe,” said Ashutosh Agrawal, 23andMe’s Senior Manager for Security &amp; Privacy Compliance. “So seeing how we compare to the healthcare industry as a whole is validation of all the hard work and our security and privacy practices. Finishing tops in the Healthcare category is also a great recognition.”
The<a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/"> Internet Society</a> is a global nonprofit dedicated to ensuring an open, globally connected, trustworthy, and secure Internet for everyone. The purpose of the group’s audit is to both identify and promote best security and privacy practices for handling consumer data. 23andMe and other public and private organizations, vendors, researchers, and policymakers all contribute to and follow OTA’s guidance. The intent is to help make online transactions safer and better protect users’ data.
The audit compared security and privacy practices of more than 1200 organizations. In addition to ranking at the top among Healthcare companies and organizations, 23andMe was ranked in the top 50 of all groups.
Currently this is looked at as the most comprehensive outside audit, and offers an independent online benchmark. It evaluates websites in three main categories: domain, brand and consumer protection; site, server and infrastructure security; and privacy, transparency and disclosures. Based on a composite weighted analysis, sites that scored 80 percent or better overall, without failing in any one category, received the honor roll designation (read the entire methodology here). 
&nbsp;
“In this age where many companies are accused of putting profits ahead of customers, the websites that made the Honor Roll should be commended for their commitment to online trust,” said Jeff Wilbur, Technical Director of the Online Trust Alliance initiative at the Internet Society. “This designation shows that you can be one of the world’s most successful businesses without sacrificing consumer privacy, protection, and security.”
&nbsp;
More details about the 2018 OTA Online Trust Audit and Honor Roll is at https://otalliance.org/2018HonorRoll.
&nbsp;
More About OTA
The Internet Society’s Online Trust Alliance (OTA) identifies and promotes security and privacy best practices that build consumer confidence in the Internet. Leading public and private organizations, vendors, researchers, and policymakers contribute to and follow OTA’s guidance to help make online transactions safer and better protect users’ data. The<a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/"> Internet Society</a> is a global nonprofit dedicated to ensuring an open, globally connected, trustworthy, and secure Internet for everyone.
&nbsp;

23andMe Makes Honor Roll for Privacy and Security

By Joanna Mountain, 23andMe’s Senior Director of Research
<div id="attachment_27030" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27030" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/y1UMp8QaSn2Rl2lO37p5cQ-300x277.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-27030 size-medium" width="300" height="277" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/y1UMp8QaSn2Rl2lO37p5cQ-300x277.jpeg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/y1UMp8QaSn2Rl2lO37p5cQ-768x709.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/y1UMp8QaSn2Rl2lO37p5cQ-1024x945.jpeg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/y1UMp8QaSn2Rl2lO37p5cQ-880x812.jpeg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/y1UMp8QaSn2Rl2lO37p5cQ-1180x1089.jpeg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />At Luca&#8217;s memorial, or as his family called it, a commemorative conference in his honor.</div>
In March, seven months after his death, I had the immense honor of attending a<a href="http://www.ghislieri.it/2019/04/17/slider-home/convegno-commemorativo-luigi-luca-cavalli-sforza/"> memorial</a> for the pioneering human geneticist Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza at the University of Pavia, Italy where he had once studied medicine.
Luca, as his friends knew him, died in<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/obituaries/luigi-cavalli-sforza-dies.html"> August of last year</a> at his family home in Belluno. He was 96, and in his near century on the planet he never stopped pondering the most important questions for many scientists like me:
Who are we and where do we come from?
<h6>Learning from Luca</h6>
Those were the questions that first drew me to the study of human genetics, fresh from a stint in the<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/solving-mysteries-via-dna/"> Peace Corps in Africa</a>. I had the good fortune to know and learn from Luca, who acted as my doctoral advisor at Stanford. It is hard to overstate his importance, not just to my life’s work, but also to the field of human genetics, and to the core of what we do here at 23andMe. Without the kind of breakthroughs made by Luca, we couldn’t do what we do here.
Long before scientists developed methods for genotyping or sequencing individuals, Luca envisioned that our genetics could tell us not just about individual traits, but about differences between human populations and details of human history and migration. And he did this all in typical Luca fashion by thinking big, drawing from multiple disciplines, and doing it all unafraid of the controversy he might stir up. These are values that are core to 23andMe.
<div id="attachment_27035" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27035" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Human-Genes-Book-1-300x213.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27035 size-medium" width="300" height="213" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Human-Genes-Book-1-300x213.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Human-Genes-Book-1.jpg 336w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />My well-worn copy of The History and Geography of Human Genes.</div>
Luca had been a doctor in Italy after WWII, when he first began theorizing that genetics could inform what we know about human migration and cultural evolution. Using hundreds of years of church records, blood types, and statistics, he was able to lay the foundation for the study of genetic inheritance across small villages in his native Italy. In his work there, then at Cambridge University and finally at Stanford, he developed statistical approaches to analyzing genetic differences among populations.
<h6>Human Geography</h6>
I still turn to my dog-eared and weathered copy of his 1,000-page tome The History and Geography of Human Genes. In some respects the science has moved on from this now 25 year-old book, but no one in population genetics would ignore this cornerstone work. Like Luca, the book is full of surprises, beauty and insights. It includes maps, descriptions of genetic variation, and draws on disciplines as varied as archaeology, linguistics, anthropology and statistics. It represents his endless curiosity that burned in him to the end.
<div id="attachment_27031" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27031" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/613px-Luigi_Luca_Cavalli-Sforza_-_Capo_di_Ponte_Foto_Luca_Giarelli-300x294.jpg" alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-27031" width="300" height="294" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/613px-Luigi_Luca_Cavalli-Sforza_-_Capo_di_Ponte_Foto_Luca_Giarelli-300x294.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/613px-Luigi_Luca_Cavalli-Sforza_-_Capo_di_Ponte_Foto_Luca_Giarelli.jpg 613w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza at a conference in 2010 at Capo di Ponte, Val Camonica, Italy. Photo: Luca Giarelli</div>
Luca helped us understand that there is enough information in DNA to discern where people came from in the world and to offer us insight into ancient human migration. Studying genetics could help us trace our origins as people, and applying models of genetic drift over the course of human history could help us map out the tree that links us all. Luca also understood early on the importance of studying human genetic diversity and championed the<a href="https://www.hagsc.org/hgdp/"> Human Genome Diversity Projec</a>t.
He actively fought and debated against racism cloaked as science. He showed that individuals within any given population differ genetically from one another about as much as they differ from people of other groups.
I was so very fortunate to have worked closely Luca. He remains an inspiration for me, and the work we do here at 23andMe.
When I look at my own research, and the work 23andMe has done in the study of human migration — our<a href="https://www.23andme.com/global-genetics/"> Global Genetics Project</a>, our<a href="https://research.23andme.com/collaborate/#populations"> Populations Collaborations</a>, and even the<a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/"> Ancestry Services</a> we offer our customers — I think of Luca, driven by curiosity and leading with science.

Remembering Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza

Insights gleaned from your DNA can be transformational, but 23andMe results are most powerful when combined with other kinds of information, such as family histories, or observable traits, or sometimes even paper records.
23andMe has seen how our customers have combined their 23andMe<a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/#toc-dnar"> DNA Relatives</a> results, along with family lore, and perhaps a <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/ancestry/family-tree/">family tree</a>, to make discoveries about themselves and their ancestry.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Ancestry_B_1800x440.jpg" alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-24194 size-full" width="1800" height="440" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Ancestry_B_1800x440.jpg 1800w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Ancestry_B_1800x440-300x73.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Ancestry_B_1800x440-768x188.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Ancestry_B_1800x440-1024x250.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Ancestry_B_1800x440-880x215.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Ancestry_B_1800x440-1180x288.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" />

To foster these kinds of explorations, 23andMe is piloting a new offer with Legacy Tree Genealogists, a Salt Lake City-based company that specializes in full-service genealogical research for clients worldwide, helping them discover their roots and personal history through records, narratives, and DNA. .
As part of this special offer 23andMe customers can access a 45-minute consultation with a genetic genealogist, meant to help them navigate their 23andMe Ancestry results, and possibly start on a path to trace their lineage or solve a family mystery.
The consultation, which costs $100, will assist those 23andMe customers who want to do a bit more with their genetic ancestry results. Whether it’s searching for a long lost relative, a biological parent or merely filling in the gaps of one’s family tree, we hope this pilot program will help.
The consultation will focus on customers’ 23andMe Ancestry results, and during the session, customers will have to share their screen with the professional from Legacy Tree Genealogists. 
Customers can find out more about this pilot offer by clicking on the Legacy Tree Genealogists banner located under the Next Steps section on their <a href="https://you.23andme.com/ancestry/">Ancestry Overview</a>.
Not yet a customer? Find out more about 23andMe’s Ancestry Service <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">here</a>.
&nbsp;

23andMe collaborates with Legacy Tree Genealogists

Last year, 23 filmmakers set off to document perhaps the most important journeys of all, those of self-discovery, and this week these personal journeys are unveiled as part of “Identity,” a series of short films commissioned by 23andMe in association with Tribeca Studios.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-27038" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080-300x300.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080-150x150.png 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080-768x768.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080-880x880.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080-271x271.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080-372x372.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080-574x574.png 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080-980x980.png 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Tribeca-23andMe-Static-1080x1080.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
The films that debuted during this year’s Tribeca Film Festival are each as unique as the artists who created them. Many are the filmmakers’ own stories. Some are the stories of others captured by the documentarians, but each is personal and powerful. Within the 23 films, the subjects explore how DNA can have a major impact on their lives, families, and identities.
Millions of people have taken their own inward journey of discovery using DNA testing, and almost every day, we hear compelling stories from our customers. “These twenty-three filmmakers explore wonderful moments of humanity and illuminate how personal each of our DNA journeys can be,” said Tracy Keim, our Vice President for Consumer Marketing.
“The storytelling in each film brings to life the diversity of thought while also touching on some real emotions,” Tracy said. “We hope these films allow people to experience the human side of science.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="IDENTITY | Official Trailer | Tribeca Studios x 23andMe" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/331118282?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write"></iframe>
The films in the “Identity” series range from stories about finding a lost family to confronting new truths or revealing lost cultural connections. More than half of the filmmakers are women, and others offer unique cultural points of view, bringing a diversity of perspectives to the series. There are films fraught with emotion, others with touches of humor, and some filled with whimsy.
<div id="attachment_27046" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27046" class="size-medium wp-image-27046" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-361-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-361-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-361-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-361-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-361-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-361-1180x787.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Of the 23 filmmakers who were part of the series 21 were able to attend the festival.</div>
To launch the series, 23andMe and Tribeca Studios hosted a panel with a select group of filmmakers during the Tribeca Film Festival this week hosted by Dyllan McGee, two-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker and founder of<a href="https://www.mcgeemedia.com/makers-conf"> MAKERS</a>. Among the filmmakers on the panel were:
<ul>
<li>Apolla Echino, who in her film The DNA Adventure, documents her return to Canada to uncover her indigenous roots</li>
<li>Emily Abt and her film Born a Fighter about Alan Joyce, a jiu-jitsu fighter coming to terms with his history and embracing his mixed-race family</li>
<li>Anayansi Prado, director of the film What Are You? which confronts racism in Latin America</li>
<li>Tani Ikeda and her film Katey + Amanda, is about Korean twins separated and adopted by families in the United States as infants who found each other three decades later</li>
<li>Kristen Lazure, producer, stood in for filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig, to discuss their film Who is My Grandfather?, which documents one man’s search for his grandfather</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_27045" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27045" class="wp-image-27045 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-317-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-317-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-317-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-317-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-317-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190425_Tribeca_23andMe_Screening-317-1180x787.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Tribeca Film Festival 2019 23andMe Identity series panel discussion.</div>
These five films scratch the surface of what is featured in the “Identity” film series. Among the rest of the series is Chromosome 19, Sarah Lamm&#8217;s bold documentary about a white woman finding her African American cousin and then exploring what their connections mean together. There&#8217;s the film Fifty Fifty about Richard Bodager, finding his birth mother and meeting her for the first time. Then, there is Shal Ngo’s stream of conscious film, Hapa, in which he untangles what it means to be rooted in Vietnam and Minnesota.
Each of these films is unique and special, and they drive to the core of how we define ourselves and our identities.
To see all the films, please visit our Vimeo page.

23andMe and Tribeca Studios Premiere Film Series

A new national survey shows a keen interest in DNA testing primarily driven by people’s desire to know more about their potential health risks.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DNA-Discovery-300x248.png" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-26142" width="300" height="248" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DNA-Discovery-300x248.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DNA-Discovery-768x634.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DNA-Discovery-1024x845.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DNA-Discovery-880x726.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DNA-Discovery-1180x974.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DNA-Discovery.png 1270w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
The survey, conducted by 23andMe in the lead up to<a href="https://www.genome.gov/26525485/about-dna-day/"> DNA Day</a>, asked consumers a range of questions to gauge both their understanding and interest in genetic testing.* Just as in all the surveys the company has done since 2013, a majority of consumers said they were interested in testing.
But this year saw a slight increase over last year in the percentage of respondents who said they were either extremely or somewhat interested in using DNA testing to find out about their health. The survey found that 74 percent were interested in testing to learn about health risks, which is a 3 percent increase over last year.
<h6>Potential Health Risks</h6>
Most striking of all is that learning about health risks drives the most interest in DNA testing. The survey found that two-thirds of respondents ranked health information as their top consideration for testing. Interestingly, the same percentage of those surveyed ranked their interest in ancestry information as those who said a desire to <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/participating-in-23andme-research-a-customers-perspective/">contribute to genetic research</a> was a primary driver for their interest in testing.
“It’s encouraging to see consumers value the core of 23andMe’s mission,” said Jhulianna Cintron, 23andMe’s consumer genetics trends expert. “We want everyone to benefit from the science around the human genome, and that’s why health, ancestry and research have always been at the core of what we do.”
<div id="attachment_27027" style="width: 708px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27027" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/DNA-Day-Survey.png" alt="" class="wp-image-27027 size-full" width="698" height="352" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/DNA-Day-Survey.png 698w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/DNA-Day-Survey-300x151.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" />Learning about potential health risk was the primary driver in their interest in DNA testing, according to a new survey by 23andMe.</div>
23andMe began conducting annual surveys measuring consumers’ interest in DNA testing in 2013. At that time, estimates were that fewer than half a million people had done an at-home DNA test. Since then interest in genetic testing has soared. One estimate suggests that more than<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612880/more-than-26-million-people-have-taken-an-at-home-ancestry-test/"> 26 million people</a> have taken an at-home DNA test. That surge in interest has come with references to testing<a href="https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/jon-snow-emails-23andme-about-his-dna-results"> sprinkled in popular culture</a>, and daily news coverage. 
<h6>Genetic Literacy</h6>
But people’s deep interest in genetic testing is often out ahead of their understanding of the science. The survey shows there is room for improvement in basic genetic literacy, which mirrors other national surveys that show a general need for<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2019/03/28/what-americans-know-about-science/"> science literacy</a>.
23andMe’s 2019 survey found that fewer than half of those asked, 41 percent, knew that DNA is organized into chromosomes, for example. While most of those surveyed, 57 percent, understood that genetic research can help lead to new treatments for disease, only 39 percent knew that genetics can play a role in a person’s risk for<a href="https://www.23andme.com/pd/"> Parkinson’s disease</a>. More than 70 percent of those asked were unaware that a person’s genetics can impact how likely it is for them to have a stronger or weaker reaction to<a href="https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm624753.htm"> different medications</a>.
While the survey found gaps in genetic literacy, it also showed a continued interest in leveraging genetic information to learn more about their own health. A majority of those surveyed, 62 percent, also said that information could help them make lifestyle changes to improve their health. And 66 percent said they would be interested in learning about genetic variants that they could pass on to their children that could increase the risk for certain diseases.
&nbsp;
All in all the survey indicates that people’s interest in DNA testing remains strong, and it is not driven by just one thing, but a desire to learn not only about potential health risks, or their ancestral heritage, but also a willingness to contribute to important research that might help others. And no matter their motivation, the vast majority of Americans, 85 percent, said that they have a right to access their genetic information with an at-home genetic test directly.
*23andMe DNA Survey, conducted in April 2019. The online survey included 1,500 nationally representative Americans who were 18 years old or older. The margin of error is +/- 3 percent.

People Want to Know About Potential Health Risks

Recorded in front of a live audience at this year’s<a href="https://schedule.sxsw.com/2019/events/PP102121"> SXSW conference</a> in Austin, the latest<a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-spit-29676456/"> episode of Spit</a>, an iHeartRadio podcast with 23andMe tackles one of our most significant public health challenges of our day — preventing millions of Americans from developing <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/type-2-diabetes/">type 2 diabetes</a>.
Hosted by writer, comedian and cultural critic,<a href="http://baratunde.com/"> Baratunde Thurston</a>, this episode kicks off the second season of<a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-spit-29676456/"> Spit</a>, iHeartRadio’s podcast with 23andMe. Baratunde brought together an eclectic panel that included not just Tracey D. Brown, the CEO of the American Diabetes Associations (ADA), but also country music star<a href="https://timmcgraw.com/"> Tim McGraw</a>, who has an inspiring personal health and fitness story. And rounding out the panel was<a href="https://www.lark.com/about"> Julia Hu</a>, the CEO of Lark Health, where scientists and engineers have created a new digital coaching app to help consumers meet their diet and exercise goals.
<div id="attachment_27024" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27024" class="size-large wp-image-27024" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4960-1024x746.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="746" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4960-1024x746.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4960-300x219.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4960-768x559.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4960-880x641.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4960-1180x859.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4960.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />From left Julia Hu, CEO of Lark Health, Tracey D. Brown, CEO of the American Diabetes Association, Tim McGraw, country singer and fitness advocate, and the Spit podcast host Baratunde Thurston at SXSW in Austin.</div>
The first step at prevention is merely raising awareness, said Brown, who took over as CEO of the American Diabetes Association in 2018 after serving as senior vice president of operations and chief experience officer at Sam’s Club.
&nbsp;
There are huge human and economic costs to diabetes, “yet the sense of urgency (in the public) isn’t there yet,” Brown said.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_27021" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27021" class="wp-image-27021 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4975-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4975-200x300.jpg 200w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4975-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4975-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4975-587x880.jpg 587w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4975-787x1180.jpg 787w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4975.jpg 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />Tracey D. Brown, CEO of the American Diabetes Association</div>
Along with alerting people to this looming health crisis, people also must become aware of their own likelihood of developing diabetes. You have to “know your numbers,” Brown said. Adding that a simple glucose level blood test could alert the many people who are prediabetic, but don’t know it yet.
&nbsp;
Brown uses herself as an example of the perils of ignoring factors that might increase one’s likelihood of developing <a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/health-predispositions/type-2-diabetes/">type 2 diabetes</a>. She developed gestational diabetes while pregnant with her daughter, and it later moved on to diabetes.
&nbsp;
“I should have taken (it) seriously then, but I didn’t,” she said.
&nbsp;
What really motivated Brown to change was her daughter, who had once asked: “Mommy are you going to die of diabetes?”
&nbsp;
It’s what helped push Brown to make the lifestyle changes that have slowly weaned her off daily insulin injections. But it’s never easy, she said.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_27022" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27022" class="wp-image-27022 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4952-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4952-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4952-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4952-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4952-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4952-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4952.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Baratunde and McGraw before the panel discussion.</div>
As in Brown’s case, it was one of Tim McGraw’s daughters who pushed him to get healthy. Watching a preview of a film he was in, his daughter reacted to seeing him looking overweight on screen.
&#8220;My oldest daughter said, &#8216;Geez, Dad. You really need to do something,'&#8221; he said. &#8220;And the next day, I was in the gym.&#8221;
&nbsp;
His daughter’s unfiltered comments brought home for him how his late nights, drinking and bad habits were impacting his health. He wanted to change that.
&nbsp;
“I wanted to be healthy,” McGraw said. “I wanted to stick around.”
&nbsp;
The son of a professional baseball player, and an athlete in his youth, McGraw got serious about fitness about ten years ago. His philosophy was to “just do something physical every day,” he said.
&nbsp;
McGraw is working on a book about his transformation to be called Grit &amp; Grace: Train the Mind, Train the Body, Own Your Life. He also recently launched<a href="https://trumavfitness.com/"> TruMav Fitness</a>, a health and fitness brand. And he noted that beyond helping yourself, taking steps to get healthy is likely going to motivate someone else.
&nbsp;
“If you do something positive I guarantee somebody else is following along, and doing something positive as well, whether you know it or not,” he said. “It can make an exponential change by setting an example like this.”
<div id="attachment_27020" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27020" class="wp-image-27020 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4980-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4980-200x300.jpg 200w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4980-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4980-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4980-587x880.jpg 587w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4980-787x1180.jpg 787w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/THEANTMAN-SPITPODCAST-4980.jpg 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />Julia Hu, CEO of Lark Health</div>
Finding the motivation to make that kind of change though is often the biggest challenge, said Julia Hu, the CEO of Lark. And that’s where the company’s<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/health-traits/your-digital-health-coach-is-here/"> digital health coach</a> comes in. Earlier this year Lark teamed up with 23andMe to provide customers the opportunity to integrate their genetic results into their digital coaching programs to help offer personalized diet and exercise suggestions and spur people toward their health goals. Lark offers a CDC-recognized diabetes prevention program that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and the ubiquitous of smart phones to give users virtual coaching. That kind of consistent advice can go a long way in helping people achieve their goals, Hu said.
&nbsp;
“Losing just five percent of body weight can cut the (likelihood) of diabetes in half,” she said. “Small changes can make a big difference.”
&nbsp;
You can listen to the latest episode on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/conversation-around-one-major-challenges-to-human-health/id1422827494?i=1000433580830&amp;mt=2">iTunes</a> or <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-spit-29676456/episode/a-conversation-around-one-of-the-30747322/">iHeartRadio</a>.
&nbsp;
To find out more about type 2 diabetes and diabetes prevention go to the<a href="https://diabetes.org/about-diabetes/type-2"> American Diabetes Association</a>, or the<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/type2.html"> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>.
&nbsp;

Spit Podcast Takes on Type 2 Diabetes

By Brittany Natale
<div id="attachment_27015" style="width: 289px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27015" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Dad-Cindy-Mindy-e1555520280386-279x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27015 size-medium" width="279" height="300" />Cindy, Marvin and Mindy.</div>
A genetic journey can be both exhilarating and rewarding. You may uncover once unknown relatives, rich with stories that add more color to your family history. But you may not expect that delving deeper into your DNA could also help to reunite childhood friends. Yet for two middle-aged women, their DNA exploration not only connected them with new family, but also helped them connect two old friends. 
Cindy and Mindy live in separate states hundreds of miles apart and were drawn to <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/">23andMe</a> for different reasons. However, they quickly learned they had much more in common then they’d ever expected – Cindy and Mindy discovered that they are half-sisters.
“Mindy had only been on 23andMe for one month and I for two months when this all took place,” said Cindy, “It was surely meant to be.” 
<h6>A Day Like Any Other </h6>
Cindy, who lives in Sandborn, Indiana, kept hitting brick walls while searching for information about her father, John. He had divorced her mother when Cindy was just a child, and died young. She wanted to learn a bit more about him.
When she turned to DNA testing, Cindy discovered something that was at first puzzling. Although she had grown up thinking John was in fact her birth father, his family DNA matched with her older sister’s but not her own. Curious and determined to find out why, she used <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/#toc-family">23andMe&#8217;s DNA Relatives</a> tool to help solve this family mystery. What she discovered, however, was something she was not expecting. 
“I forgot about [23andMe] for a month or so, then I got back on and realized that I had the settings set on private,” shares Cindy, “I changed my settings to public and within hours I got a match that read, ‘this person is your half sister’. I was shocked”.
That person was Mindy, who lives more than 700 miles away in Norfolk, Virginia. And around the same time Cindy made her jaw-dropping discovery, Mindy was also getting the surprise of her life. 
“My son and I had been on the site for only a month,” says Mindy, “One Friday I came into work and turned on my computer and saw that I got a message on 23andMe [from Cindy] that read, ‘Imagine my surprise when I got a message from 23andMe that said that you are my half sister’. I must have responded to her email immediately.” 
<h6>The Story</h6>
It took a little while to figure out how these two strangers were in fact sisters.
Excitedly conversing via email, the two traded details on their family. They each also talked separately with family members, and together they were able to sketch out the story.
It turns out Cindy’s mother, Charlotte, had briefly dated a man named Marvin, Mindy’s father. 
The two got together while Charlotte was separated from her husband John. But after the ever so brief affair ended, Charlotte got back together with John. Soon after she found out she was pregnant with Cindy, her third child. They always just assumed Cindy was John’s daughter. 
The couple stayed together another five years, before ultimately divorcing. Cindy said she never knew whether her mother had any inkling that she might not be John’s child. 
Charlotte eventually remarried, and moved with her family out of state from Michigan to Indiana. In 1963, not long after the divorce John passed away – he was just 30. Cindy doesn’t know if he ever suspected that she wasn’t his child. However, a letter sent by John’s mother that Cindy found later in life hints that his family may have had their suspicions.
More than 50 years later, in her quest to learn more about her father, Cindy discovered that her birth father was alive and well and living in Florida. After connecting with Mindy, she connected with her birth father, Marvin, and they were able to use 23andMe to confirm that she indeed was his daughter. 
However, the story does not end here.
<h6>Way Back When</h6>
Cindy and Mindy’s story is wonderful and special in many ways, but it has one more twist that takes it to another level.
<div id="attachment_27014" style="width: 304px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27014" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/IMG_4628-294x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27014 size-medium" width="294" height="300" />Marvin, on the left, and Ralph &#8220;Corky.&#8221;</div>
Remember Cindy’s mom, Charlotte, who remarried after divorcing John? Her second husband, Ralph, also adopted her children, Cindy included. The twist in this story is that Ralph was once close friends with Marvin. Or to put this another way, Ralph had unknowingly raised the child of one of his closest friends from his youth: Marvin, a guy he affectionately nicknamed, Corky. 
This was way back in the early 1950’s, when Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, and Patti Page dominated the radio airwaves. As the country began revving up to fight in the Korean War, Ralph and Marvin, two close childhood friends, decided to enlist in the U.S. Air Force. 
“I went into service in late 1949,” said Ralph, “and Corky came into the service a couple of months after I did.” 
Even though they enlisted a few months apart, they lucked out and ended up serving together.
“Instead of going to Korea, I got sent to McGhee-Tyson Radar Unit in Tennessee, and Ralph was there,” Marvin said. “I walked into the hotel, it was the Fort Crane Hotel, and I said, ‘Do you have a Ralph Boyer here?’ and they said ‘Yes’, so I went knocking on his door and he couldn’t believe it. He just looked at me and said, ‘What are you doing here!?’” 
The two, who were friends since grade school in Michigan, were tasked with guarding a site where atomic bombs were made. When they both got out of the service the two young men, still just in their early 20s, remained close friends. 
“When we got out of the service we double dated for awhile,” said Marvin, “I guess that is the genesis of when this whole thing started.” 
Marvin dated Cindy’s mother, Charlotte, while Ralph dated one of her girlfriends. 
“We were really close,” said Ralph, “He was my best buddy, so that’s the way it was.” 
<div style="float: right; text-align: justified; width: 300px; background-color: #eee; padding: 15px; margin-left: 10px;">
What&#8217;s Your Story?

Like our DNA, our stories connect us. They can also inspire, entertain and empower us. Thousands of 23andMe customers have already shared their stories with us. We hope you will choose to share yours.
Whether it’s about finding a long-lost relative, gaining insights into your health, or simply recounting the fun you’ve had while exploring your DNA, we want to hear your story. We may even want to feature it on our website or in a television commercial.
You can see some of our favorite customer stories <a href="https://www.23andme.com/stories/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.
<a href="https://www.23andme.com/stories/#form" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tell us your story!</a>
</div>
However, as the 1960’s came to a close, the two fell out of touch, and it was Ralph who eventually married Charlotte. They moved out of state to Indiana. Marvin wed another one of their childhood friends and started a family of his own, three sons and a daughter, in Michigan. Ralph was even the best man at Marvin’s wedding. 
“I hadn’t been in touch with Corky since 1970,” said Ralph, “so it had been many years since I had seen or even heard from him”. 
<h6>Reuniting and Connecting</h6>
After Mindy and Cindy connected, they wanted to make sure that Ralph and Marvin also got the opportunity to reconnect.
When the group finally got together for the first time this past January in Florida, the place where Marvin and his wife now call home, they clicked instantly. Old stories and memories were recalled, each person finding out more about each other and making up for lost time: Mindy and Cindy spoke of the uncanny coincidences they share, such as how they have rhyming names, and both have a granddaughter named Violet. While the two sisters finally got to speak in person and cultivate their kindred connection, Ralph and Marvin reminisced about their childhood and time in the service. They even recreated the photos they took some 50 years ago while stationed at their military base. 
Each had a memorable experience – a friendship was reunited after nearly half a century, and two siblings were brought together after a lifetime apart. 
“The odds against all of this happening are astronomical,” said Cindy, “ I survived cancer. I happened to get on 23andMe. Marvin will be 87 in April, my dad [Ralph] is already 87. That they are even alive to tell this story, and complete this story, is amazing”. 
Mindy, Cindy, and their fathers all stay in touch and talk often. This summer, they are planning to reconvene at a larger family reunion down in Asheville , North Carolina. It will be here that Cindy will finally get to meet her extended relatives and learn more about the family that, until recently, she never knew she had. 
“It is strange how it all worked out,” said Marvin, “but my daughter, Mindy, has always said she wanted a sister, so now she finally has one!” 
<hr />
Brittany Natale is a freelance writer living in New York City. Her work has appeared in publications such as i-D, Teen Vogue, The Village Voice, Nylon, Domino, L&#8217;Officiel, and AnOther.
&nbsp;

Latest Posts — Page 68