Curious about her family’s heritage, Kathy took a DNA test— and found her two sisters!

Family is a treasure chest worth more than a mountain of gold.” AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Love can be found in the most unexpected ways. Adopted at birth, Kathy Anderson knows this is true. A DNA test led her to a double miracle of the heart!

One more time, Kathy Anderson looked at the name on the adoption papers she had found so long ago tucked away in her adoptive mother’s desk. Delores Thomas. My birth mother, the Sebastopol, California, grandma thought.

Growing up, Kathy had always known that she was adopted. But she had also always felt cared for and loved. So as the years passed—happily married and a busy mom with a housewares business—she’d never had much desire to search for her biological roots.

Besides, after the wonderful life they had given her, Kathy hadn’t wanted to offend or hurt her adoptive family.

Now, her parents were gone, and Kathy’s grown daughter and daughter-inlaw— eager to learn more about their heritage for their own children— had given her the gift of a DNA test from Ancestry.com. Sending it in, Kathy wondered: Will I find answers about who I truly am?

A surprising discovery Soon

after, through the service, Kathy was connected to a second cousin in Arkansas who sent her a picture of the couple who would have been her grandparents.

Looking at the photo, Kathy’s eyes grew wide. I look just like my grandma did at this age!

Sadly, though, Kathy’s cousin also shared devastating news: Her birth mother had died from cervical cancer at only 38. Kathy’s heart sank. How can I be so sad when I never had her in my life? she swallowed back tears. Yet, the sense of loss was enormous. That the woman who had given her life had lost her own far too soon. That she would never get to thank her for the selfless sacrifice she had made . . .

Kathy’s cousin also mentioned that Delores had two other daughters. They were just five and eight when their mother passed away. That means . . . I have two sisters! Kathy gasped. All the times she had wondered about her past, it always involved her parents. She’d never considered the idea of siblings! So, jumping on Facebook, Kathy typed in the names she was given— and could hardly believe it. We look so much alike! And we all work in marketing, too! she marveled.

Meanwhile, nearly 400 miles away in Santa Clarita, 54-yearold Sue Brooke was meeting with a client when she received a Facebook message from someone who said she was a cousin of her mother’s.

I’d love to talk to you. It looks like you have a half-sister!

At first, Sue just shook her head. Mom never had any other children, she thought. Did she?

Her curiosity piqued, she immediately called her sister, Lori, now 52.

Could it be? Could we have another sister? Lori wondered.

An unexpected connection Taking

a deep breath, Sue called Kathy— and soon, they were talking via videochat as if they had known each other for years!

“Mom was a secretary in Nebraska. We lost her on Christmas Day. Lori and I were so young then, our dad had to raise us alone,” Sue shared. “But now, to have you . . . it’s an unexpected connection to Mom. An amazing gift!”

And on a Friday night, Kathy got to meet Lori, who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Sue, who drove north to visit.

“Look at you!” Kathy beamed, wrapping her arms around her sisters, who had the same long hair and were even dressed in almost identical black sleeveless tops, white capri pants and silver sandals!

For hours they talked, sharing family stories and sifting through photos, including Kathy’s favorite: those of her mom as a young woman on the beach, looking like a pinup girl.

Though, for decades, they’d never known each other existed, the sisters now vow to never lose touch. In fact, when Sue shared she was going through a divorce, Kathy suggested, “Why don’t you move up here?”

Today, Kathy and Sue are launching a business together. And though Kathy never got to know her mom, she believes that was who orchestrated the sisters’ reunion.

“Meeting Lori and Sue has given me such a big sense of family. We are great friends— lifelong friends. Because that’s what sisters are!” Kathy says with a smile. “This has filled a hole in all of our hearts. And now mine is overflowing with love!”