DNA test brings mother and daughter together after 52 years
A mother-daughter reunion like no other took place over the weekend when a woman met her biological mom 52 years after she was put up for adoption.
Karen Leslie was 21 years old and had just met now-husband Dick Leslie when she got pregnant with his child back in 1967. According to ABC News, Karen was kicked out of her home for getting pregnant out of wedlock and didn’t have the resources to take care of a baby. The woman made the secret decision to have the child and turn her over to a Christian adoption agency, praying that she would get to see the little girl again. On Friday, Karen finally did.
San Diego news outlet KGTV reported that the long overdue meeting was all thanks to an AncestryDNA test that connected Dick Leslie’s daughters from a previous marriage to a woman named Erin Chatterton, who identified herself as a first cousin or sibling to the women via the service’s findings.
Dick Leslie had two daughters, Lisa Raessner and Lori Webster, with his first wife. Erin reached out to Lisa upon receiving test results, but the sisters couldn’t figure out the relation, according to KGTV.
Lori clarified that she and her sister only had two stepbrothers from her dad’s second marriage to Karen later in life. However, the siblings were shocked to find out that that wasn’t actually the case. Instead, they learned they had another sister, who was born before Karen and Dick had even gotten married.
“Erin didn’t want anything from anybody,” Lori told KGTV. “All she wanted was to find out who her parents were.”
Karen Leslie wanted the same, agreeing to take a DNA test to confirm that Chatterton was her daughter. Once they did, the long-lost family members texted for a few months before planning their first meeting at the San Diego airport.
“Everything is for a reason, and this is the reason and the right time,” Karen said of the emotional reunion, which was caught on camera by KGTV.
Erin echoed the sentiment that their meeting was meant to be, saying, “We’ve never met, how do you love someone you’ve never met? You can love someone you never met, she gave me life.”
As for her biological father, Erin has yet to meet him because of current health issues. However, she told KGTV that she has plans to soon.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
• Daughter reunites with her father after believing he was dead for 26 years
• 4-year-old makes emotional video asking for a kidney donation for her dad
• Former school resource officer adopts 24-year-old who really wanted a mom
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