masterplan
DNA Connection leads to Reunion at Reunion by Sonja Branch-Wilson “
I
have a family, I have a family.” For 30 years Barry Johnson has been searching for clues to help him solve a mystery he has often wondered about his family. Later in life, he learned that the mother he knew was not his birthmother. The story began to unfold that his birthmother left him with a friend and neighbor soon after being discharged from the hospital, never to be seen again. The neighbor became the only Mom he ever knew and while he adored her and appreciated her sacrifice, the sting of abandonment by his mother left Barry with a void of knowing his biological family. It hung over him like a rain cloud. Many years later, he decided to take a DNA test. What did he have to lose, he just wanted answers. His results came and, of course, there were matches but he had no idea where to begin. So he didn’t. However, one of his matches noticed his results instantly because there were 1, 2, 3…8, 9,…14, 15…wait, 18 other family members that Barry matched. “Who is this person?” she wondered. “I’ve got to get in contact with him.” She messaged him through Ancestry to make contact, hoping he would respond. It took a few weeks before Barry read the lengthy message that his unknown, newfound cousin sent. He admits his nerves completely took over when he saw there was a message. He did not know whether to open the message or leave it unread. He decided to open it. Barry describes, “When I read what seemed to be
2021 AMMD Reunion Committee
a two-page message, I began to cry. I could not believe what I was reading. Barry responded to the email and the next message that his DNA-connected cousin wrote simply read, “Call me. Here is my number.” The initial conversation between Barry and his newfound cousin was emotional, exciting, and enlightening. They spoke for hours, even patching in his cousin’s mother, on the phone. This added to the excitement and led to a full praise for the brick wall breakthrough. While we were still uncertain of just how Barry was connected, without question with all of those DNA matches, we knew that he’s family … undoubtedly. Fast forward to 2019 … the cousins have now been in contact for a year and this just happened to be family reunion year. Barry planned to attend, but the closer August came, the more nervous Barry became. He shared that he wanted to meet his family, but he also did not want to feel rejected; a deep-rooted feeling he had been all too familiar with for too many years of his life. On August 16, 2019 Barry traveled from North Carolina to Delaware to meet his biological family; a family he had longed to find for over 30 years. He describes the journey as a pure joyousness but he was also experiencing periods of anxiety. When he arrived at the host hotel, he contacted his cousin. She gave him the time they would link up to walk to the family
Agee-Miller-Mayo-Dungy (AMMD) Family Reunion, Delaware 2019 40 REUNIONS v www.reunionsmag.com
