+353 (1) 685 6929 When Adele Faulkner took her genetic test, a gift from her husband, her intention is to access vital medical information for herself. She had been adopted from Colombia and does not have any family history to speak of to help her identify her own genetic health risks.
She did not expect taking this genetic test would reunite her with two sisters she never knew she had.
Angela Knight took a DNA test a few years prior with the intention to find a relative. However, during the time, she was not able to find any connection. She and her twin sister, Diana Kwacz, had also been adopted from Colombia into the same family.
While Knight and Kwacz know of each other, Faulkner had no idea she had half-sisters. The partial match of the three women’s genetic tests showed they were half-sisters. It was then that they were able to connect.
Adopted from a Colombian orphanage, Faulkner was adopted by John and Debra Trainer in Lunenburg. Her parents had her file, but there was very little information about her. Being adopted from another country, Faulkner thought she would never find anyone biologically related to her.
The lack of information about her personal medical and family history led her to take a consumer genetics test. In her DNA test results, she saw Knight listed as her half-sister and subsequently found out she was a twin.
Before Faulkner was even able to contact Knight, the latter already found her on Facebook and sent her a message. The three sisters then had a call, confirming details of their adoptions and showing each other photos.
Faulkner recalls crying on the front lawn while talking to her sisters, saying that it was a powerful moment for her.
Meanwhile, twin sisters Angela and Diana were adopted by Walter and Dolores Kwacz. Their adoptive parents told the twins about Colombia and their mother, saying that she selflessly gave them up for them to have a better life. The twins have a photo of their mother and a basic information page. Over the years, they tried to locate their mother but had no success. However, they did not expect to find another sister.
For Faulkner, reuniting with her sisters led her to a “bonus family.” With her newfound siblings, suddenly, her child also has new aunts and uncles and cousins.
While their respective adoptive families have been wonderful, a shared DNA meant sharing a deeper connection, just proving just how deeply ingrained genetics can be.
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