Justin was only two when he was abandoned on the steps of a theater in Seoul, South Korea, while his five year-old sister, Renee, was found the next day at a market with a note in her pocket.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/siblings-2-300x269.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-26535" width="300" height="269" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/siblings-2-300x269.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/siblings-2.jpg 480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
&nbsp;
&#8220;This girl is an orphan,” the note read.
&nbsp;
The siblings wouldn’t see each other again for 34 years, reuniting half a world away using 23andMe.
&nbsp;
“We matched,” <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2018/09/oregon_adoptees_dna_test_leads.html">Justin told at the Oregonian</a>. “Out of one in a million. Maybe even more.”
&nbsp;
Justin was too young to even know he had a sister, while Renee never forgot that she had a younger brother, she just never thought they would see each other again.
&nbsp;
Take a moment to see the siblings reunite. Make sure you have a tissue handy.
<iframe loading="lazy" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YaL9tGeQjQ8" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

Siblings reunite using 23andMe

By Marybie Arias, 23andMe Intern 
23andMe welcomes Genetics Clubs in colleges across the country to an exclusive National Screening and Filmmaker Q&amp;A with Sarah Lamm, the director of the new documentary  <a href="https://www.thankyouforcomingmovie.com/">Thank You For Coming</a> set for October 2018. 
23andMe’s Genetics Club leaders are invited to host a free screening of the film at their college or university, giving a chance for fellow club members, students, and faculty to see the movie and participate in the discussion with Sarah. 
<div id="attachment_26503" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26503" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ThankYouForComing001jpg-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="size-large wp-image-26503" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ThankYouForComing001jpg-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ThankYouForComing001jpg-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ThankYouForComing001jpg-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ThankYouForComing001jpg-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ThankYouForComing001jpg-1180x787.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Filmmaker Sarah Lamm in a scene from her new documentary, Thank You For Coming.</div>
The hope is that club members can use this event as an opportunity to engage with their community and participate in a meaningful conversation about genetics.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.thankyouforcomingmovie.com/">Thank You For Coming</a> is a film about one woman’s journey to find her biological father after learning, at the age of 29, that she was donor-conceived. Part genealogical detective story and part comedy, the film offers a bittersweet meditation on the heartbreak of loss and the hope of friendship. Thank You For Coming tells a story about nature, nurture, and one woman&#8217;s desire to connect with her roots. Here is a link to the<a href="https://www.thankyouforcomingmovie.com/"> trailer</a> and more info.
&nbsp;
For this event, 23andMe will provide a free screening for your club as well as  marketing materials to help you spread the word in your university or local community college. 
&nbsp;
To participate all you need to do is sign up for a <a href="https://education.23andme.com/genetics-club/">23andMe Genetics Club</a> on your campus. Whether your interest is in biology, history or even film, as long as as you’re interested in exploring more about DNA you can sign up. To learn more go to  <a href="https://education.23andme.com/genetics-club/">https://education.23andme.com/genetics-club/</a>
&nbsp;
23andMe Genetics club mission is to empower U.S. college students to cultivate a deeper understanding of themselves through genetic information and be educated about the latest scientific research. 
Marybie is a 23andMe summer intern and a second-year student at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. She plans to transfer to the University of California at Berkeley or Santa Clara University next year and hopes to major in Business Administration.

Marybie Arias

23andMe Genetics Clubs Get Exclusive Screening of New Film

By Marybie Arias, 23andMe Intern
From birth, sisters, Marsann and Marsine have always stood out, and they’ve done it together. Born premature and in each others&#8217; arms these twins shared more than just a birthday, they a deep connection to their family history.
<div id="attachment_26500" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26500" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/DSC_0082-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="size-large wp-image-26500" width="1024" height="683" />Marsine (left) with her twin sister Marsann.</div>
&nbsp;
From an early age they were both drawn to family stories and talk of their ancestors, an interest they have been able to explore by using 23andMe’s ancestry features. 
&nbsp;
“We would try to hear the stories from the elders to get more information about other relatives,” said Marsann with her sister’s agreement. 
&nbsp;
That’s why they pulled out all the stops for a massive family reunion over the summer in Arizona. Over a weekend in late July, the sisters invited dozens of relatives — many of whom they found with the help of 23andMe ancestry features — to what can only be described as a gala reunion — complete with a red carpet, cameras, delicious food and multiple fun activities for the family. The twins spent months planning this the reunion and inviting their far-flung relatives to spend time with family. 
&nbsp;
“(It) really brought our family closer together, and gave the younger children some sense of connection to something greater, their identity,” said Marsine. 

The reunion was the product of years spent tracing their family history. The twins often worked using paper records, but they hit a dead end when tried to go back beyond 1850. It is something faced by many African American families trying to trace their ancestors who were sold into slavery. This dead end is what prompted the sisters to do a DNA test with 23andMe. They wanted to find additional relatives and trace their roots back to Africa. 
&nbsp;
Testing with 23andMe, and using the DNA Relatives tool, also offered the twins new family connections, and they got a few additional surprises along the way. 
They discovered that their grandmother was half Native American and half European, something they didn’t know. The sisters speculated that their grandmother likely hid her European ancestry in part because she married an African American man and in Alabama at that time, mixed marriages were not only illegal, but it could also put one’s life in danger. 
&nbsp;
Along with the shocking ancestry results, the twins matched with more than 1000 close and distant relatives on 23andMe DNA Relative tool. But the sisters went a step further than just matching with relatives through 23andMe, they insisted wanted more proof that they were related, using paper records when they could find them or taping their mother. And once they made confirmations, they often took steps to meet the newly found family members. 
&nbsp;
Just to keep track and stay in touch Marsine started a facebook group page for family members they found using 23andMe DNA Relatives too! Now the group has more than 175 members. 
&nbsp;
Bringing this sprawling family together for the reunion was the culmination of all their work, and it connected everyone to their family’s rich history.
&nbsp;
Fresh off the success of one reunion, the twins are already planning on another — this one in Dallas in 2020. By then the sisters hope to have a few more family members and more stories to share.
&nbsp;
“By the next reunion, we will have some new faces to invite and introduce to the lesser known side of their family at that event,” said Marsine.
&nbsp;
Marybie is a 23andMe summer intern and a second-year student at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. She plans to transfer to the University of California at Berkeley or Santa Clara University next year and hopes to major in Business Administration.

The DNA of a Family Reunion

He hadn’t given up looking, but Richard had long ago stopped expecting he’d find anything about his biological family.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Richard-B-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26408" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Richard-B-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Richard-B-768x432.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Richard-B-880x495.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Richard-B-980x555.jpg 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Richard-B.jpg 986w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>



A 50-year-old adoptee, he’d been stymied for years by sealed adoption records. So when Richard’s wife gave him a 23andMe kit for Christmas last year, they were more focused on learning about health and traits he may have inherited, and maybe get some information about his ancestry.



That’s why one of his DNA Relative connections was such a shock.



“When I read the first line: ‘I am your sister,’ I dropped my phone,” Richard told KSNV Channel 3 in Las Vegas.



Connecting with Sarah, his half-sister in London, allowed him to fill in the blank pages of his life. And probably most emotional of all for Richard was that Sarah immediately knew who he was. She’d known about him for more than 15 years but assumed he was living in Ireland. Her father, Richard’s biological father, had told her about having fathered a child with his girlfriend when the two were in college and of putting up the boy&#8217;s adoption. That’s all that Sarah had known.



But it was all a revelation to Richard, who was able to learn more about his biological family.



“I had completely given up hope of ever finding out any information about my birth family,” he said. “I now know so much more about my adoption and my birth father, and I have gained an amazing sister.”



&nbsp;

23andMe Helps Adoptee Find Biological Family

For National Cousins day we thought we&#8217;d share the story of Lisa Henry and Joyce Schur, who are  are so close that they always felt like more than just friends. After using 23andme they learned that they had that right. They are actually cousins.
<div id="attachment_26368" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26368" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Lisa-and-Joyce-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26368 size-medium" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Lisa-and-Joyce-300x169.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Lisa-and-Joyce-768x433.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Lisa-and-Joyce-880x496.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Lisa-and-Joyce.jpg 969w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Friends Lisa, on the left, and Joyce. The photo on the right is from 2016.</div>
Their story was recently covered by <a href="https://www.insideedition.com/pennsylvania-women-who-have-been-best-friends-childhood-discover-theyre-related-44987">Inside Edition</a>. The two Pennsylvania women shared their story with us earlier this year. It’s about two people grew up near each other, became friends, and crossed huge milestones in their life over 40 years – marriage, having children, and family struggles. Through it all they remained friends.
“We have been friend and neighbors since we where young girls, and so many times people have asked us if we were related because we do resemble one another and are very similar in our ways,” said Lisa. “We are now in our fifties and still best friends, but never would have known we are really related, if it weren&#8217;t for 23andMe.”
It took a bit to figure it all out. Lisa had been first to test, and it wasn&#8217;t until Joyce tired of hearing about all the neat things Lisa was learning from her 23andme results that she tested. Lisa was the first person Joyce called when she got her results. She wanted some help walking through her results. When she opened up her DNA Relatives, she immediately saw Lisa&#8217;s name.
&#8220;Oh my gosh, you are the sixth person on my list! I am looking at your picture!&#8221; Joyce said.
Recently they were at a function together and a man standing in line asked:
&#8220;Are you to related?&#8221;
Joyce turned to him and said, &#8220;Well, as a matter of fact &#8211; yes!&#8221;
Check out their story <a href="https://www.insideedition.com/pennsylvania-women-who-have-been-best-friends-childhood-discover-theyre-related-44987">here</a>.

Happy National Cousins Day

We know 23andMe customers want to access their genetic information and insights on whichever device they choose, so we’ve recently added an app to support the iPad.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ipadAC-211x300.jpg" alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-26333" width="211" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ipadAC-211x300.jpg 211w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ipadAC-619x880.jpg 619w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ipadAC.jpg 715w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 211px) 100vw, 211px" />
&nbsp;
The new <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/23andme/id952516687?mt=8">iPad app</a> is meant to meet growing demand from customers who want to access their genetic data while they’re away from their laptop or on the go. The iPad is an excellent device for kicking back and browsing all of the interesting reports, data, and charts available to 23andMe customers. 23andMe’s updated app makes wonderful use of the unique aspects and functionality of the tablet. Here are just a few examples:
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>When viewing Ancestry Composition, the map of your ancestry is bigger, more interactive, and has excellent animations as you explore and dig into the data.</li>
<li>When viewing DNA Relatives from the Connections tab, you’ll have full access to all of the filters and sorting needed to narrow in on the relative with whom you’re looking to connect.</li>
<li>If you tap on a connection from your Connections list, the compare view contains more information at a glance and lets you quickly send messages back and forth from a sidebar.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;
Beyond the new iPad app, 23andMe has made many improvements to our mobile apps over the last few months including:
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Faster startup times</li>
<li>An easy way to upload your profile photo using your phone.</li>
<li>A new research dashboard, which makes it easier to view unique 23andMe Research discoveries</li>
<li>A brand new Connections tab, where you can access your list of connections as well as DNA Relatives</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
These are just a few of the improvements we’re making to the mobile experience for customers. Stay tuned; there’s more to come.

23andMe’s New iPad App

One of the best gifts for Father’s Day is getting to spend some time with your son or daughter, especially if you haven’t been able to do that before.
&nbsp;
This year, 23andMe brought together five fathers for a barbecue in Houston with children they connected with through 23andMe. For most,  this was their first Father’s Day with a grown son or daughter they hadn’t known they even had, until discovering their genetic connection through 23andMe.
&nbsp;
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9">
<iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rJF93KXZfYk" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
</div>
“It’s a miracle,” said Alex, who spent the time with his newfound daughter Esther. 
&nbsp;
Alex hadn’t known of her birth more than 28 years ago. It wasn’t until a cousin reached out — with whom Esther had connected with using 23andMe — that he learned he had another daughter.
&nbsp;
“I’d always wanted another daughter,” he said.

For Esther, who’d been searching for years for her biological father, meeting him for the first time was life-changing.
<div id="attachment_26261" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26261" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3426-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-26261" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3426-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3426-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3426-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3426-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3426-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> Esther and Francisco Blue de Avalos and her father, Alex Rabar on the right.</div>
She’d been nervous about meeting him for the first time, but almost immediately felt a sort of unconditional love for him. The connection with him was incredibly important for her, but it also meant her three young daughters now had another grandfather in their lives.
&nbsp;
“And that&#8217;s all because of 23andMe,” she said.
&nbsp;
Ben didn’t know of his son Adam Runyan’s birth 35 years ago. Ben was stunned when his son Levi, a 31-year-old corrections officer, called him to say he had another son to add to his family of two sons and two daughters. Ben said when he showed his 94-year-old mother Adam’s picture she said:
&nbsp;
“That boy looks like you!”
<div id="attachment_26262" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26262" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3432-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-26262" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3432-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3432-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3432-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3432-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3432-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Adam and Kristen Runyan (on the right) with Adam&#8217;s father Ben Gurule and his wife Suzanne.</div>
&nbsp;
What amazed Ben is that he immediately felt his heart open to his newfound son Adam, a counselor.
&nbsp;
“I do have amazing children, and he fits right in,”  Ben said. “To me, this is a blessing. Something I didn’t think was possible.”
&nbsp;
Adam felt an immediate connection to his father and siblings.
&nbsp;
For Ricky, who connected with his grown daughter Lisa McIndoo, it was hard to describe his feelings.
 “Here she is, and she’s just beautiful and funny and bright,” he said. “I’m weak-kneed with emotion.”
&nbsp;
Lisa, an adoptee who grew up in a loving family and became an Episcopal priest, felt finding her biological father was incredibly valuable. She loved her dad, the man who raised her, but like many adoptees, she always wondered.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_26265" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26265" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_2634-300x240.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26265 size-medium" width="300" height="240" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_2634-300x240.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_2634-768x614.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_2634-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_2634-880x704.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_2634-1180x944.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Lisa McIndoo, with her birth father Ricky Beach.</div>
“There’s really no way to describe how completing it can be to find a biological parent,” said Lisa, who had for years felt like there was a missing puzzle piece in her life that she’s now found “To spend Father’s Day together and to be here with him is almost unreal.”
&nbsp;
For Larry, this was a different kind of Father’s Day, one that’s not easy to explain. He’d spent Father’s Day with his daughter Sherry, but this was the first one he’d spent with her knowing that she was his biological daughter. You see she’d been born just after he and her mom began dating. They’d assumed
that he was not her father, but he raised her as if she were. It never mattered to Larry or Sherry. Larry was her dad, whether he was her biological father or not. Almost 15 years ago, he’d even told her if she wanted him to take a DNA test to find out, he’d do it, but she told him no.
&nbsp;
Then recently Sherry’s 37-year-old daughter tested. In looking at the surnames of DNA Relatives she
<div id="attachment_26259" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26259" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3405-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-26259" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3405-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3405-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3405-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3405-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3405-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />On the left is Sherry Brown&#8217;s mother, Elberta Roberts and her father Larry with Sherry and her husband Daniel Kennedy.</div>
matched with on 23andMe, Larry knew almost right away that Sherry was his biological daughter. He and Sherry sent off a kit and soon confirmed it.
&nbsp;
It was surprisingly emotional for them both.
&nbsp;
“It was as if all the sudden I had a new daughter,” Larry said.
&nbsp;
Sherry said they both realized that the result didn’t change the dynamics of their relationship, but “the truth is a powerful thing,” she said.
<div id="attachment_26260" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26260" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3413-300x200.jpg" alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-26260" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3413-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3413-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3413-880x587.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3413-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_3413-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />From right to left Rebecca Bond, her father Thomas Metzger, her son Kameron and Vicki and Thomas Metzger (Rebecca&#8217;s father).</div>
For Rebecca Bond, finding her biological father and getting to spend her first Father’s Day with him was immeasurable.
&nbsp;
“Not having a father impacts you deeply,” she said.
&nbsp;
Raised by a single mom, she was told her father had died. She had yearned for a dad, someone who would have been there to see her off for the prom, or walk her down the aisle during her wedding, or to be a grandfather to her son.
&nbsp;
When she made a surprising connection with a half-sister and then found him, she was stunned.
&nbsp;
“There are no words to express the feelings I have,” she said.
&nbsp;
Thomas summed it up for everyone when he said:
&nbsp;
“This is one of the most wonderful things that has ever happened to me.”
&nbsp;
Being a father is about more than just biology, but making those connections and understanding your history can be important in many ways.
&nbsp;
To all the dads out there, Happy Father’s Day from 23andMe.
&nbsp;
Check out the stories from 23andMe’s Father’s Day BBQ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJF93KXZfYk&#038;list=PLFvkfbvHpp1kU9nvguZrZ2Y7nYc8_swVA">here</a>.
&nbsp;

Happy Father’s Day 2018

On her birthday in April Betty Jeannotte joined a pretty exclusive club when she turned 100.
She didn’t want to make a big fuss, but the managers at the senior living community where Betty lives in Florida sure wished to mark the occasion offering her a “wish of a lifetime.” Betty, who is from Maine, didn’t ask for much.
<div id="attachment_26232" style="width: 232px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26232" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Betty-Portrait-222x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26232 size-medium" width="222" height="300" />Betty Jeannotte</div>
“They asked if I wanted to take a trip back to Maine or if I wanted something else,” she said.
But Betty was more interested in learning about her ancestry, so she got a 23andMe kit and a chance to work with a genealogist to find out a little bit more about her ancestry.
“Years and years ago I’d done a little research, but I never got very far,” she said. “And I was curious.”
Her gift and gifts for others who reach this milestone is something that the<a href="https://www.brookdale.com/en.html"> Brookdale Senior Living</a> communities have been doing for years after teaming up with the non-profit<a href="http://www.wishofalifetime.org"> Wish of a Lifetime</a> in 2010. They offer seniors a chance to fulfill dreams deferred and since then they’ve offered gifts that include piloting planes, skydiving and getting behind the wheel of a racecar.
Betty wasn’t so interested in jumping out of a plane or speeding down a racetrack, but she did want to find out a little about her ancestry and used 23andMe and the help of a local genealogist to learn more about the family history. He found 7 generations of her maternal family.
“It was fascinating,” she said.
The information added another layer to what she already knew. Her 23andMe <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">Ancestry Composition</a> showed she’s about 80 percent English and Irish with a little bit of German in the mix. That reflects accurately with what she knows about her parents’ family histories.
Her mom was “of Yankee stock,” while her dad, who had been a vaudeville magician, was a Bostonian whose family originally came from Ireland. He swept Betty’s mom off her feet.
“You could say that,” Betty said.
It was part of his magic trick.
Betty’s mother lived in Old Orchard Beach, which at the time was a gathering place of Bostonians and New Yorkers during the summer. Her dad, and his vaudeville partner were among the vacationers, and that’s how Betty’s mom met her dad.
<div id="attachment_26233" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26233" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Betty-Photos-e1527807973527-225x300.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-26233 size-medium" width="225" height="300" />Scenes from a life well lived.</div>
“Adams &amp; Mack” gave “benefit” performances for the town – Betty’s mom, who’d played the organ at church, agreed to be the musical accompaniment for the show. When they needed a volunteer for the levitating portion of their magic show, she volunteered.
“It’s a funny story,” Betty said. “My mother’s dad insisted on seeing how they did the trick before he’d allow her to do the show.”
Betty still has a snapshot of her mom floating above the stage as her dad passes a ring over her body — sweeping her off her feet.
Her dad settled in town, and her parents married. He eventually came to own and operate stores that sold newspapers and magazines and included a soda shop. He became politically active and was appointed postmaster in the ‘30s. Betty grew up a bit of a tomboy in that part of rural Maine but eventually went to college in New Jersey.
“I went to St. Elizabeth’s in Morristown and graduated in June of 1941, and you know what happened in December of that year,” Betty said.
She worked in the civil service throughout the war and corresponded with “a fella I met in college.”
That “fella” was Russell Jeannotte, who eventually would become Betty’s husband. Most of his time during the war was in North Africa where he was stationed with the U.S. Army Air Corps. After the war, the couple settled in Freeport, Maine, close to the original LL Bean, where Russell operated a funeral home. Betty was an elementary and middle school teacher for 28 years.
The couple had two children, a son, who went into the Army, and a daughter, who became a chiropractor. After they retired Betty and her husband moved in the early 1980s near Sarasota, Florida where some friends had settled.
“They kept saying we should move out of the cold,” she said. “I was never sorry about the move. Maine still feels like home, but I’m happy in Florida.”
In 2001 her husband died and then three years ago, Betty lost her daughter to cancer, and then something happened. Her daughter’s friends rallied around and were &#8211; and remain &#8211; so supportive, they on the Gulf Coast and Betty in Fort Lauderdale. It was their two closest family friends, one of whom is the son of Betty’s college roommate, who influenced her to move across state to Brookdale. It is those long time friends and the new Brookdale friends she has made which make each day a good one.
“I’m sometimes asked about my secret to aging,” Betty said. “I’ve never been particularly athletic. I eat well, but I don’t concentrate on it.”
And she doesn’t think it’s her genetics either. Her mother died young, at only 53. Her dad made it to 70, and even going back further, and no one made it much beyond 70.
“I guess if anyone asks me why don’t you sound like a little old lady, I guess my secret or the only reason I can account for that is I had my daughter’s friends,” Betty said. “You know when you’re surrounded by younger people it keeps you young.”

Betty’s Wish

Venus and Serena Williams, the Marx brothers, or our very own CEO Anne Wojcicki and her sisters Susan and Janet — our connections with siblings can be one of the strongest bonds in our lives. Finding those connections is one of the things that make 23andMe so special, our ability to reunite long-lost siblings — some have been looking for each other for years, while others never knew one another existed. 
Today on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siblings_Day">National Siblings Day</a>, we wanted to revisit a few of our favorite stories about brothers and sisters who built new connections with the help of 23andMe.

<a href="http://people.com/human-interest/identical-twin-sisters-separated-birth-find-each-other-33-years-later/">Amanda and Katey</a>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Amanda-Kay-1024x620.jpg" alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-26115" width="1024" height="620" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Amanda-Kay-1024x620.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Amanda-Kay-300x182.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Amanda-Kay-768x465.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Amanda-Kay-880x533.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Amanda-Kay-1180x715.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Amanda-Kay.jpg 1311w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />The story of identical twin sisters Amanda and Katey finding each other still gives us goosebumps. The pair were both born in Seoul, South Korea, but separated after being adopted to two separate American families. Amanda grew up in California, while Katey was raised in Arizona. They found each other using 23andMe after 33 years being apart. They soon discovered uncanny parallels in their lives — from failing algebra the same year in school, to passing their driving test on the second try. After decades apart the two sisters are now making up for lost time.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw8G1JCr47w">Winnie and Meta</a>
<iframe loading="lazy" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hw8G1JCr47w" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Winnie always knew she was adopted. The 76-year-old always felt supported, had children and grandchildren who loved her, but always felt something was missing. Winnie spent decades searching for her birth family, pouring over her adoption records, and searching through tens of thousands of names she thought might lead her to her birth mother or father. Winnie’s big break didn’t come until she took 23andMe’s DNA test, which helped her find a nephew, and ultimately her half sister, Meta. This led her to two more half sisters and her half brother, who were overjoyed to meet her. Winnie shared with us when she found her family, “To actually hug someone you are biologically related at 75 years old, is just amazing.” 

<a href="https://www.today.com/video/watch-3-siblings-reunite-with-their-long-lost-sister-on-megyn-kelly-today-1185580099728">Laurie, Amber, Christine and Brian</a>

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Siblings-Laurie-Christine-Brian-and-Amber-1024x566.jpg" alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-26116" width="1024" height="566" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Siblings-Laurie-Christine-Brian-and-Amber-1024x566.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Siblings-Laurie-Christine-Brian-and-Amber-300x166.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Siblings-Laurie-Christine-Brian-and-Amber-768x424.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Siblings-Laurie-Christine-Brian-and-Amber-880x486.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Siblings-Laurie-Christine-Brian-and-Amber-1180x652.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Siblings-Laurie-Christine-Brian-and-Amber-271x149.jpg 271w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Siblings Laurie, Christine, Brian and Amber were adopted at a very young age. While Laurie, Christine and Brian stayed together, Amber, the youngest, was adopted by a separate family. The four were separated for decades. Then Laurie took the 23andMe genetic test and got an unexpected message, “you have one direct family member” in her DNA Relatives report. For decades the four siblings had no means of finding each other. Now that they’ve connected, they are talking non-stop. Best of all, Amber is pregnant and she will be giving her child the gift of additional family, two aunts and an uncle. 

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eYt9CESTq4">Pat and Angel</a>
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Pat was adopted as a baby, and never knew any of her birth family. Her daughter Kelle used 23andMe not knowing she would find her mother’s sister, Angel. For years Pat’s fear of being rejected by her birth family, prevented her from searching for them. But after she and her sister Angel connected in December 2016, she was welcomed with open arms and has never looked back.

Anyone with a brother or sister knows the bonds siblings can share. That’s what makes these stories of siblings finding each other so powerful. Not everyone is looking for long lost family, but we all have our own DNA stories. What’s your 23andMe story? We’d love to hear it. Please share it with us at <a href="mailto:stories@23andMe.com">stories@23andMe.com</a>.

DNA Relatives — Page 4