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

Terrifying words teen said as he fell 120 feet in front of dad

Ryan Wach and his teenage son Zane, 14, were hiking Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada mountain range on June 10 when a tragedy...

Heartfelt video shows moment man abandoned as baby in plastic bag meets his birth family

It was back in September 1984 when three teenage girls found a baby wrapped in a blanket and placed in a plastic bag in...

The Night I Felt Like He Was Still With Me and How I Felt Close to Him Again for the First Time in Years

I wasn’t looking for anything that day. I had opened my inbox just to unsubscribe from random newsletters. Then I saw his name. It...

Canadian PM responds to Trump’s ‘blatant attack’ accusation

US President Donald Trump lashed out at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, accusing the country of a "blatant attack." The new potential feud between the...

Mom poses with her kids — one detail sparks a powerful body positivity realization

Recently at the beach with her family, Kirsten Bosly from Perth, Australia, wasn’t enjoying the fun with her loved ones—she felt incredibly uncomfortable in...

12-year-old girl dies of rare cancer—parents noticed worrying sign as she brushed teeth

As Beth Phelps, a 12-year-old girl, was getting ready for bed one night and was brushing her teeth, her parents noticed a "protruding lump" on...