Search for speech material leads mayor to birth family
Last September, Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein was working on his speech for the grand opening of 23andMe’s new Sunnyvale headquarters. He wanted to spice it up a little, add a personal anecdote, so he logged onto his long-forgotten 23andMe account.
23andMe is a company that analyzes user-submitted DNA samples for things like ancestry, genetic predisposition to diseases and other information that can be gleaned from a small saliva sample.
There, he saw something he hadn’t when he created his account about a decade before: A potential relative had submitted their DNA to the site and was looking to connect. Klein, who had been adopted and never known his birth parents, reached out to the site user, who turned out to be his half-sister Kara.
“That was a breakthrough,” Klein said. He was raised as an only child, and his adoptive parents had passed away years before. “But all of a sudden, I have a blood relative that is wanting to conceivably meet,” he said.
He reached out immediately and began talking with Kara. Since then, he has discovered he has two sisters with whom he shares a biological mother. Kara and her younger sister Maren connected with Klein online and eventually met up with Klein to get drinks. The three shared stories and were so immersed in the meeting that they forgot to take a photo of the life-changing event.
Klein said he was struck by the similarities between him and his sisters. They had the same favorite museum in Paris, the same love of travel and the same artistic streak. “That was interesting to discover family that we have at least this biological bond with, but also see that you have this mental and interest bond with, that you have a lot of similarities,” Klein said.
Through his sisters, Klein discovered his biological mother was still alive and living only hours away in Southern California. He was hesitant to ask to meet her, not wanting to disrupt her life or dredge up any pain from her past. But he did want to let her know that he had a loving, happy childhood and didn’t want her to feel any guilt or regret.
“You don’t know what people’s situations were when they had to give away the child,” Klein said. “And so for me, it was like, OK, whatever your case was, I had two great parents, and I had a good upbringing. And to me, that was the most important thing.”
In March, the weekend before the statewide mandatory “shelter in place” order took effect, Klein and his biological mother Judy met for the first time. They had lunch at a restaurant in the East Bay, a meal that stretched on for hours. Klein said he’s grateful the was able to meet her face to face before the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone into their homes.
“It was good to be able to meet her—and not over a Zoom meeting, but to sit down at a table and talk and hug each other,” Klein said.
But this unexpected family reunion was the last thing on Klein’s mind when he created his 23andMe account. He initially got on to learn more about his health. Having been adopted, he wanted to know more about his genetic medical history, whether there were any diseases or conditions he was predisposed to. So he sent in a saliva sample and got back his medical results, as well as some details on his heritage.
“It was good information,” Klein said. “It’s supplemental, because every person’s health is specific to them. But it is a game of odds. If you have a slightly higher chance of this disease or that disease, it’s better to know early and check with your doctor.”
In the end, Klein gave a pretty memorable speech at the 23andMe grand opening, breaking the big news that he had discovered he had a sister.
“I thanked them for what they were doing,” Klein said. “They’re bringing families together. It’s not just the health benefits and giving you some idea from that standpoint, but it’s bringing families together.”