Surprised by DNA Results After a 60 Year Search for Family, Adopted Woman Aged 78 Makes a Bittersweet Discovery

Just imagine for a moment that you’ve been searching for years to find your biological family, without success, then all of a sudden, in your retirement you meet your long lost brother.

What words could express how you feel?

What would you do?

Would you have the same mannerisms?

Gepostet von Shelly Foster am Mittwoch, 31. Mai 2017

Shelly Foster knew from a childhood age that had been adopted, but, she didn’t know from whom, until she had finished high school she didn’t the slightest idea what to do next in her life, at the time the military seemed like a good option.

Heading to her local U.S. Air Force recruitment she then saw, for the very first time, her birth certificate during enrollment.

She then learned her birth name as it was on her birth certificate, “Ruth Mary Anthes”, which made her bring into question many other things in her life that she didn’t really know anything about.

The next step then, once she took the decision to try to locate her birth family, was to begin the long, hard task of searching, times as they were made it difficult though.

Whenever she went to a new place she would head straight to the phone book, to lookup anyone with the last name “Anthes”.

Happy Veteran's Day! I am proud to have served.

Gepostet von Shelly Foster am Freitag, 11. November 2016

Then the internet came along, and finally brought about some progress

… she found a match!

A bittersweet discovery came when she found her mother’s obituary, she had missed the chance to hug the woman who brought her into this life, BUT she was not alone, she had a half brother called Fredric Vanderwoude.

Shelly’s children came to her aid and found her brother living in Breckenridge, Texas. He agreed without hesitation to take a DNA test which gave a 100% biological match making it clear that they did share the same mother and father!

Shelly and her newly found brother talked on the phone, this was such an exciting time looking into the future, she had finally found her closest blood relation besides her parents, they decided to meet!

She spent 60 years searching for her biological family before she could be reunited, that moment she so desperately sought soon approached.

So, Shelly headed to Shreveport, Louisiana, where she finally got to meet her biological family.

The moment they met was completely breathtaking, Shelly told the NWF Daily News:

I looked into his eyes and saw me. We both had hazel eyes. He hugged me and said, ‘Where have you been all of my life?

Could you imagine that moment if it were you? What would you think, feel?

Kelly White
Kelly White
Kelly White is an award-winning journalist based in London where she covers financial markets, economies and companies in Europe.

More from author

Related posts

Latest posts

If cancer is present, 3 key symptoms often appear in the morning

Cancer can affect anyone, even people who seem healthy, eat well, and exercise. This is why staying informed and being aware of the signs...

Why Barron Trump is missing from NYU campus

The youngest son of President Donald Trump is attending Stern Business School at the New York University, unlike the rest of his siblings who...

Chilling messages Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer sent to friends following assassination

Hours after Charlie Kirk's alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, 22, shot the right-wing political activist during a debate at Utah Valley University, he joked in a private...

A child’s desperate cry for help — and the hero no one expected

Heavy rain poured down outside, streaming across the windows of Murphy’s Truck Stop. Only a few truckers were inside, quietly sipping coffee, while a...

My in-laws asked me to exclude my nephew from our wedding because of his scars

Weddings can be nerve-racking, yet full of joy at the same time. The most important thing is to spend that special day with the...

Melania Trump breaks silence with new official White House statement

Melania Trump is one of those people who is simply captivating. From the moment she started her modeling career in the US, she has...