DNA testing is incredible! Many people are tracking their ancestry through the use of DNA ancestry testing services, such as Me and Ancestry. It gives people the opportunity to find out about their family history. DNA testing has even allowed people to find and seek out unknown family members, such as in the case of Walter Macfarlane and Alan Robinson, two men who were friends for over 60 years only to find that they were brothers through DNA testing.

Lifetime Friends Turn Out to be Long-Lost Brothers

Macfarlene, who is 74 years old, and Robinson, who is 72, were both born in Honolulu, HI and first met in elementary school. They became close friends, to the point where their families would often vacation together. One day, Macfarlene decided he wanted to find out who his biological father was. He took a DNA ancestry test, only to find out that Robinson was his biological brother.

Macfarlene was born in 1943 right after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His mother decided to give him up for adoption for reasons unknown to him. Her parents stepped having decided to “hanai” him. This Hawaiian tradition allows a family to adopt a person informally even if they do not have the proper papers. However, Robinson, who was born 15 months later, was put up for adoption. Robinson would never know who his biological mother or father were.

Robinson was given DNA test opportunities from both 23 and Me and Ancestry for his birthday a few years back. He submitted swabs from his cheek for both. Last year, Macfarlane submitted DNA samples to both companies as well with the encouragement of his daughters. He was provided with a list of 800 people he was related to. It was his daughter who noticed that there was a near identical match. The name was “Robi737.” They asked Robinson if that was his username and he confirmed.

DNA testing can help to not only reveal your family history, it can also bring long-lost family members together. For all the latest health news, visit The Benefits Store today.