From DNA match to family: A woman’s unexpected reunion

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — As many reflect on family this Thanksgiving, some are looking back on unexpected reunions—a reminder that the connections we’re meant to have often find us when we least expect them.

Jenn McSweeney, adopted as a baby, has always viewed it as being “chosen.” She never felt like she was searching for anything—until the loss of her adoptive mother prompted her to explore her past.

A decade of dead ends followed, but everything changed in December 2023 when Jenn logged into her 23andMe account and discovered a match: a brother on her father’s side, “Joe from Leland.” The shock led to messages, and soon, Jenn was connecting with two more siblings.

The siblings decided to reunite on the anniversary of their father’s death. And when they were finally together, Jenn realized something she hadn’t expected to find:

“A sense of feeling complete that I never realized I didn’t have. When the four of us hugged for the first time, it was a sense of being whole, and I didn’t realize that I didn’t feel whole until I had them.”

Jenn has now met her family—by chance and by choice—with only one more nephew left to meet. This December, her sister and nephew will be visiting her in New York.