OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — One Omaha woman grew up thinking she was an only child for more than three decades. This Thanksgiving will be different however, thanks to her half sister.
"Being an only child wasn't anything weird it was a little lonely at times, but at the same time I occupied my time with books," said Rebekah Hughes. Up until recently she always thought she was an only child. That has since changed after she sent in a DNA testing kit from 23 and Me.
"What the lab will do is extract the DNA that's found in saliva in the white blood cells in saliva, for our ancestry report we're looking for genetic similarities for our different reference populations," said Lindsay Grove, 23 and Me Spokesperson.
Hughes found out she had a half sister, Laura, thanks to that test. They got in touch which sparked their relationship. "We were both very apprehensive at first because we really didn't know how to kind of take this, and I shocked her is what she said," said Hughes.
The two took a road trip together to catch up on lost time. "The similarities are unbelievable we have the exact same facial structure, we have the exact same curly hair, we're both short," said Hughes.
The two are now planning to spend Thanksgiving together which will be a new experience for both of them.
"I think it's special that our family has grown a little bit more, and I'm excited for Laura to meet everybody," said Hughes.
Hughes says she's hopeful her birth mother will be joining her and her sister at Thanksgiving. If you want more information on the testing kits visit this link
