Vicky and Frank Laffin have known each other their whole lives. Both were adopted as babies and have lived with a family ever since. But what the 19-year-old and her adoptive brother, who is a year and a half older, don’t know: They are actually biological siblings.
They only made this discovery through a DNA test. Both wanted to know where their genetic roots were and therefore sent gene samples from themselves to an online genealogy portal. Actually more for fun, Vicky told the “Washington Post”: “I didn’t expect anything big.” The message she and her brother received afterwards should turn their world upside down. According to the results, their DNA matches between 49 and 56 percent.
“It was a big shock,” said Vicky Laffin. “I never thought that my brother, who I’ve lived with all my life, is also my biological brother.” And Frank initially thought his sister was playing a trick on him – the news came so unexpectedly for him.
The New York state siblings were independently adopted by their parents Angela and Dennis Laffin when they were just a few days old. There was no information about the background of either child. The couple already had a son, but their wish for a second child of their own did not come true. So the Laffins applied for an adoptive child. In 2002, they took in newborn Frank – he was found in a bag on the steps of a day care center.
Two years later, Vicky joined them. Actually, Angela and Dennis Laffin did not want to adopt another child. But when they heard that a newborn had been found in a hospital toilet, they changed their minds.
The siblings only found out about the circumstances of their adoption a few months ago. Her parents didn’t want to tell them too soon – then Frank found a newspaper clipping from the day he was born. “I was shocked that our stories are so similar,” said Vicky Laffin. Little did they know how much they had in common. But that doesn’t make any difference either, says Frank: After all, genetic origin has never played a major role in her family.
Sources: “Washington Post” / “Today”
When this couple turns 30 in a few years, their children will already be grown. Tasia (23) and Drew (25) Taylor from USA are the legal guardians of Tamiray (15) and Rory (13). You can see the story of the unusually young family in the video.