Getting The Results
Liane Carter couldn't believe her eyes when she opened her test results. She turned to her husband in complete shock and horror. Surely there must have been a mistake. Something like this didn't seem possible!
She hadn't even heard of this type of testing until recently, but now it was about to change her entire life! Liane kept staring at the words, wondering how true it was and what she would do about it, then it hit her.
Putting The Pieces Together
The news that Liane found out wouldn't just affect her but her whole family. It was crazy! Things like this didn't happen in real life. She still wasn't sure how to feel about the situation, but she knew she had to tell someone about it soon.
And there was only one person whose opinion really mattered. Liane had been married to her husband Marc for 38 years, and this news would affect him just as much as it did her. There was nothing left to do except bite the bullet and give Marc the strange news.
Telling Marc
When Marc learned about the testing, he was just as excited as Liane to discover the results. But now, Liane wondered if he would still feel the same once he saw what the tests proved. There was no time for nerves—she had to show him.
As Liane waited anxiously for her husband's reaction to the news, her mind began wandering. Things about her life finally started making sense, but it didn't mean she was ecstatic about it. She knew her life was about to change, but she hoped it wouldn't be too drastic.
His Reaction
There wasn't much that could faze this couple. They had been through a lot in life and always seemed to come out stronger. Even when their son was diagnosed with a life-long illness, the couple put their best foot forward.
Liane hoped that meant they could overcome anything. She showed Marc her results and anxiously waited for him to finish reading. After examining the results, her husband eventually turned to her and uttered words she never thought he would say.
Acceptance Is Key
Marc took the news surprisingly well, but the same couldn't be said for other members of their family. After all, this is never the type of news anyone would expect or want. But it seemed Marc realized there was nothing he could do to change it, so he had to accept it.
This gave Liane hope because she felt the same as her husband did. She wasn't going to allow this news to ruin their lives. But Liane also knew that nothing would ever be the same again. It's not every day that you find this out about your genes.
Unearthing The Truth
23andMe is a website that specializes in genetic testing. The results can confirm many things about a person's heritage. Liane and her husband Marc were casually interested in finding out more about their past, but they ended up getting more than they bargained for.
When the email confirmed Liane's ancestry, she knew they were in for a huge change. It was something the couple wasn't prepared for. But after being married for 38 years, there was only one thing they could do now.
Telling The Kids
Liane and Marc had two sons who they loved dearly. But now, they weren't sure if their family life would be completely ruined. They knew it was time to tell the boys the truth, but it might change the way their kids looked at them.
Liane braced herself to reveal it all but knew that Marc would stand by her side no matter what happened. They promised to share their lives with each other for better or worse; now, they would have to make good on that promise.
Incredible Romance
Liane and Marc met when they were both in their twenties. It was a time when life was carefree, and the thought that something shocking would change their lives 38 years later had never occurred to them.
The couple met while on vacation in the Bahamas. It was love at first sight, and they made the most of the time together. After spending the holidays chatting, they discovered something that would change the dynamics of the relationship!
Meant To Be
Liane and Marc realized that they were both from Manhattan! It was crazy that they traveled so far only to meet someone from the same hometown. But that wasn't the only surprise because they soon discovered something else that proved they were meant to be together.
It turns out the pair didn't just live in the same town, but they also lived only a block away from each other! This meant they could continue their romance without the bother of having a long-distance relationship. But although the stars were pushing them together, they would find out years later what a cruel hand they'd been dealt.
Inseparable
Once they were back home, the couple couldn't bear to be a part. They spent the next two weeks getting to know each other even better by going on dates. Marc was falling in love with Liane, and he already knew that she was the perfect person for him. So he decided to take the next step.
During a magnificent fourth of July party, Marc asked Liane to be his wife. She said yes! And the couple (now fiances) watched the fireworks with a massive grin. The two were so much alike that they knew they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives. But only later would they discover just how similar they actually were.
A Not So Easy Life
After the couple's marriage, they wanted to make their family larger. They had a host of friends and family but still had more love to share. Liane fell pregnant quickly, but despite their initial happiness, the pair soon realized something was wrong with their son.
Their son Mickey didn't speak for the first few years of his love. The couple knew there was something wrong and sought out the best doctors to get to the bottom of it. Then after many tests, Mickey was diagnosed.
Autistic Son
Doctors told Liane that Mickey had autism, a developmental disorder that can affect speech and result in repetitive behaviors. This was heartbreaking news, but Liane knew she wouldn't let this disability define her son.
This discovery led Liane down a path she never thought she would go down. And she became quite famous because of it. But even she couldn't guess just how much it would affect her life and the shocking truth it would reveal about her and Marc.
Becoming Famous
As any good parent would, Liane began researching more about her son's disability. She attended many lectures and events about autism. In fact, she became such a familiar face that she even started talking about her experiences.
Marc stood by his family throughout the whole thing, not knowing that his wife was getting closer to unearthing a well-kept secret. But it would've been difficult to stop Liane anyway; she was becoming well-known in the autism awareness community. She even decided to take a huge leap and do this...
Writing A Book
Liane's years of research made her the perfect candidate to write a book to help others in a similar situation. Mickey wasn't just Liane's son; he was her inspiration. Her touching memoir, Ketchup Is My Favorite Vegetable: A Family Grows Up With Autism, went on to win many awards.
Writing the book had sparked another desire in Liane. She wanted to find out more about genetics. And with everything so easily accessible on the internet, it wasn't long before she found a place that would give her all the answers she wanted. Unfortunately, it wasn't what she expected.
Not The Only One
But Mickey wasn't Liane's only child. Marc and Liane had another beautiful boy named Jonathan. Mickey and Jonathan were around the same age, and together the four of them formed the perfect family. But there was a specific reason they were all so similar, and soon everyone would find out!
Even though Jonathan was perfectly healthy, the couple was still curious about their genetic history. If not for anything else, they might find out they had long-lost relatives who were extremely wealthy. But that wasn't the case at all...
23andMe
23andMe is a reputable brand that performs genetic testing on the public to help them determine their ancestry. The process is quite simple, and anyone can try it. You just have to purchase the product from them, and they send you the kit.
The genetic testing kit comes with a swab that you stick in your mouth before sealing the package and resending it to the company. Both Liane and Marc were curious and decided to get tested. But the results brought to life an unexpected truth.
Not Always Good News
Despite Liane and Marc's excitement, 23andMe hasn't always brought good news to people. The couple should have been more apprehensive, considering what had happened to Denice Juneski. The genetic testing site gave this 72-year old the worst possible news.
Denise had always felt different from her family; she didn't even look like them. This may be why she was so interested in finding out her ancestry. But when she finally got her answers, she realized just how much she missed out on.
Not Related
The results proved that Denise didn't share the same DNA as her family. This left everyone baffled because they had all witnessed her mother become pregnant and deliver the baby. That's when realization dawned on the older woman.
If Denise was correct in her assumption, then it wasn't just her life that would've been affected. There was only one person who could help her to get the answers she needed, and she sought them out immediately.
The Truth
The 23andMe site had listed Denise's potential relatives, and she sought to get into contact with them. She began speaking to a young woman who then revealed something extraordinary that would change Denise's life.
The girl told Denise she had an aunt around the same age as Denise and that she should speak to her. Upon talking, the women realized that they had been through something very similar and the girl's aunt, Linda, decided to get a DNA test as well.
Switched At Birth
Linda's test proved that she wasn't related to her family either. Apparently, the two women had been switched at birth by accident. This was heartbreaking for everyone involved, especially after finding out about it so late in life.
Well, Denise and Linda weren't the only ones to receive terrible news from the genetics site, but that didn't stop others from wanting to know their own history. Liane and Marc were driven by their curiosity and wanted to learn more, mainly because of Mickey. But their results ended up causing just as much of a stir as Denise's.
Too Similar
Liane and Marc received their results after a few weeks via email. But it was something the couple wasn't prepared for. The tests had finally explained why Liane and Marc were so similar in their thoughts and actions.
Both husband and wife were shocked. It was something they never thought was possible. Even though Liane and Marc knew it wasn't their fault, they still worried about what their family and sons would say.
Third Cousins
The results proved that Liane and Marc were third cousins! This meant that they shared the same ancestors. It wasn't as close as being siblings, but it was still a pretty close relation. The couple was shocked at first and then realized they had to break the news to their children.
No one was more surprised than Jonathan about the news. He had even encouraged his parents to get the test done, but he didn't realize it would change his own life. When his parents broke the news, Jonathan had this to say...
Genetic Counselling
"I don't know how to feel about this. Do I need to get genetic counseling?" Those were the first words Jonathan uttered when he found out the news. The parents weren't sure how to react to it or what to say.
But the couple decided to take it in their stride. They looked at their situation without feeling too bad. After all, it wasn't in their control. But that didn't mean that everyone else was so receptive to the news; some people on social media had a lot to say about the couple.
Cousin Husband
At first, Liane and Marc joked about their situation. In passing, Liane would call Marc her "cousin-husband" and laugh. But Marc didn't miss a beat; he had his own witty comeback to his wife's joke.
Marc would reply to his wife with, "better than being a sister-wife." The pair always seemed to find the bright side to life. But people on social media were eager to share their opinions about the matter with the couple.
Our Forbidden Love
Liane was well-known, and rather than hide the matter; she decided to post about it on Facebook. The author even decided to create a hashtag for the situation to get other's opinions on it. She called it #OurForbiddenLove.
Within a few hours, countless people had seen the post, and comments began flooding in. Lots of people who knew the couple expressed their disbelief. But they weren't the only ones who had something to say about the matter.
Facebook Comments
Liane wasn't sure how everyone would react to the news. There might be some people who thought that she and Marc shouldn't be together, but she wasn't going to let some people's nasty comments affect her family life. But instead of horrible comments, she received a surprising message.
Someone decided to point out an important fact that Liane hadn't thought of before. And when she heard it, the cousin-wife did feel differently about the matter. This is what a commenter sent to Liane about her situation...
Just Like A Famous Couple
Someone started telling Liane that she wasn't the first person to end up in this situation. Many saw nothing wrong with the couple and felt that they should continue living their life as they always had.
People even added that some celebrity couples were actually related in the same way as Marc and Liane. This did a lot to improve the pair's attitude towards the situation. Especially when they found out who the famous couple was!
Royalty
Liane and Marc shared the "distant cousin title" with the Roosevelts and, more famously, Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II. This definitely gave the couple more enthusiasm about the idea; after all, the royal bloodline is considered sacred.
Now that Liane, Marc, and everyone they cared about was on board with the idea, one of Liane's close friends shared an article that explained why the couple had matching DNA. It was fascinating because it stated...
Family Tree
It turns out Liane and Marc's ancestors were extraordinary. They were part of a rare ethnic group that had come about long ago. The article also shed light on why Liane and Marc were so closely related.
It turns out members of their ethnic group had rarely married outside of the culture. So technically, Marc and Liane were still upholding traditions without even knowing. But what was this rare group they were descendants of?
Jewish Descent
Marc and Liane were descendants of the Ashkenazi Jews. This was an ethnic group that was created in the Middle Ages. And now Marc and Liane have carried on the line. Even though the news was difficult to digest at first, they are happy they now know the truth.
But what exactly does this mean for the couple? They dug deeper trying to see if they could find out the name of the common great-great-grandparents they share. Their search came up with this strange result.
Maybe Not
From everything the couple knows about their heritage, they remain unsure if they actually share great-great-grandparents. Despite the uncertainty about actual names, the couple is thrilled that they got to find out something like this.
They remember the crazy revelation every day but embrace it wholeheartedly. Neither of them can imagine living their lives with someone else. These third cousins love each other and the family they've created more than anything, and that will always remain the same.