Three years earlier, my son Tyler had given me a similar test for my birthday. I had barely examined the results, unaware that my genetic information would eventually help identify a brother I didn’t know existed.
Jenna’s results suggested a close family connection with me, although nobody initially understood how we were related. Further investigation led Carol to Margaret’s daughter, who knew about St. Brigid’s and remembered the name June Kowalski, my mother’s maiden name.
Carol eventually located Mom and explained that Michael had been adopted by a doctor and his wife. His adoptive parents had loved him deeply, and his mother had preserved the yellow blanket throughout his childhood.
Michael, now known as Samuel Reiner, had become a high school chemistry teacher in Pittsburgh. He was married, had a daughter and grandchildren, and had always wondered about his biological mother without wanting to hurt the parents who raised him.
