DNA and Ancestry kits are all the rage right now. It’s never been easier to learn about your heritage and discover new things about yourself than it is now, thanks to kits like 23 & Me and AnsestryDNA.
When Robin Gonsalves gifted her father, John, a DNA kit for his birthday, she expected him to learn a few fun facts about himself but didn’t anticipate anything life-changing would come of it. So, when he received a letter from 40-year-old Jeanie Siciliano claiming she was his daughter, both Robin and John were shocked.
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As it turns out, Jeanie was born in 1977, when John was 19 years old and put up for adoption by her teen mother, John’s high school girlfriend. Jeanie admits that when she was about 19 herself, she started to do some digging to find out who her biological parents are, but came up empty. So, when she opened her AncestryDNA results and saw her father’s name under her own, she was in shock.
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John was equally excited to hear the news. He told CBS, “I started to cry. I felt joy. I was like, ‘this is such a great gift at a perfect time in my life and Robin’s life.'” John explained that finding out he was a father at 59, to a 40-year-old, was just as exciting as finding out he was a father with Robin.
Two months after the initial letter, Jeanie went to meet John and Robin in person. John nervously cleaned the house and put balloons outside to welcome his “new” daughter.
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When the father and daughter met, they were equal parts emotional and excited. John greeted Jeanie with, “Daughter! Hi!” to which she responded “Oh, this is so amazing… I love the balloons, it’s like I’m a newborn!”
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Since the meeting, Robin has expressed how excited she is to have a sister, especially given that her mom passed away in 2014. She told CBS, “when I lost my mom, the thing that I was most concerned about was like ‘How am I going to navigate my dating life… without my mom?’ I don’t have too many women figures in my life but losing my mom was really hard. So it’s important to have women to look up to. So having someone like Jeanie is really nice.” Jeanie knows she won’t be able to replace Robin’s mother, but is excited to “be there” for hew new little sister.
The happy meeting is all thanks to a birthday gift. Robin took all credit when she told CBS, “I gave him the gift of another child basically for his birthday.”
Watch the touching meeting in the video below.Be sure to share this sweet story with your friends!
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