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In a quest to confirm an Indigenous strand in her ancestry, 63-year-old Pam Currie discovered something special alongside it: her long-lost twin brothers, only a drive away, who she never knew existed.
CTV News asked readers to share their experiences with 23andMe, Ancestry, MyHeritage and other genealogy websites. These websites surfaced stories of uncovering family secrets, locating long-lost relatives and exploring family trees. Nearly 100 people responded to our callout.
Meet Currie — a woman who resides in Esterhazy, Sask.
Curious about her ethnicity and looking to validate the Indigenous background her grandmother briefly spoke about, Currie joined Ancestry.ca in 2009. But it wasn’t until December 2018 that Currie’s husband, Paul, decided it was time for her to do the test.
Two months later, the results came back, and Currie received a five per cent Indigenous match.
When DNA is submitted, Currie explained, the genealogy site notifies you of a match with others and to what degree, like third, second or third cousins.
“I recognized lots of names there. It was funny, I just had a feeling of trepidation about doing it. I was kind of scared because you just never know what you’re going to find,” Currie said in an interview with CTVNews.ca.
Every once in a while, Currie said, a notification would pop up locating other matches.Â
Then, in June 2019, Currie said a notification popped up that said “immediate sibling.”
“I was in shock,” Currie said.
Currie’s soon-to-be brother, Todd, explained that he and his twin brother, Scott, were her biological siblings, who had been given up for adoption and were now looking for their family.
With more questions needing answers, Todd sent Currie an adoption document, written by a social worker, that described their mother, Shirley.
Currie remembered reading the document and immediately recognizing that it was her mother. As for the father’s descriptions, Currie said they were “a mess,” as they didn’t match her father, Chic.
“I assumed it was my mom’s boyfriend at the time when [my parents] had split up,” Currie said.
A shocking discovery
Currie said her parents got married in 1960 and split 10 years later. Her youngest brother, Kelly, had been born at the time. Raised in Bienfait, Sask., Currie, her brother and sister, Teresa, stayed with their dad for three years while their mom was gone. Currie said her mom “needed to find herself.”
During that time, Currie said, her parents had tried to reconcile. Currie didn’t know it at the time, but and her mom became pregnant with the twins during her time away, and gave the babies up for adoption before returning to Currie, Kelly, Teresa and their father.
“We got our family back together and had a wonderful, loving, happy family for 40 years.”
Currie said after receiving Todd’s message, the “emotional part” came next when she asked herself, “How do I confront my mom?”
A teary-eyed Currie said after explaining to her mom what the ancestry kit revealed, and the twin’s interest in meeting them, her mom broke down.
“She was very sad this had happened [but] she was very excited we found each other,” Currie said.
Pam Currie’s parents and long-lost twin brothers are seen in the above image after reuniting. From left to right, Todd, Shirley, Chic, and Scott. (Photo provided by Pam Currie)
Currie says her mom didn’t want to tell anybody about the adoption, but that changed after it all came to light.
“The fact that she was going to keep this secret for [her] dying days, she was instantly excited,” Currie said.
Rounding up the family and revealing the news of their long-lost siblings, Currie said her dad was initially hesitant but came around, while her brother and sister were excited.
Family reunion
Currie said she spoke to her twin brothers on Skype and by text message in the three weeks before their big reunion.
The twin brothers, Todd and Scott, lived in Moose Jaw, Sask., a two-and-a-half-hour drive from their biological parents.
Trekking to the twin’s home, Currie said the drive was filled with caution but anticipation.
In the background, “The Older I Get” by Alan Jackson played, Currie described. When she arrived, a friend who lived next door to the twins, who was a professional photographer, captured the emotional moments.
Pam Currie and her brother, Todd, embrace during their family reunion. (Photo provided by Pam Currie)
Pam Currie’s mother, Shirley, shares an emotional reunion with her sons, Todd and Scott. (Photo provided by Pam Currie)
“We are a family of lip kissers. When we went to meet these men that we’ve never met before, it was an automatic kiss on the lips. It was pretty fabulous,” Currie said.
“They made dad and Kelly T-shirts. They made us a cake that had our little family of seven, little stickmen on it,” Currie said.
Pam Currie’s father, Chic, and brother, Kelly, pose for a picture during the family reunion. The twin brothers made T-shirts for them. (Photo provided by Pam Currie)
Currie said this was the start of many family get-togethers, and they would make the drive out every other week soon after that.
Life-long memories
As suggested by her sister-in-law, Currie said her five siblings decided to audition for Family Feud and taped an episode in December 2019. “The dynamics between the two of them and the three of us, it just felt like they were our siblings. We instantly had those connections. [That] joking atmosphere you have with your family.”
“We’re making new memories,” Currie said.
Pam Currie and her siblings on Family Fued (Photo provided by Pam Currie)
Now, Christmas and other holidays mean Currie and the family pull up a couple of extra seats.
She said their first Christmas together was just the seven of them. “We just wanted to experience a Christmas together. My sister bought us a Christmas tree, all the decorations and Christmas sweaters.”
Currie said they had a sleepover at their parents’ home.
“Todd phones mom and dad every night to have a conversation about how their day was. He’s very sad that he missed out on our life. Does he have any animosity? No, none at all, neither does Scott,” Currie said.
Currie said the family gets together monthly but not all together at the same time.
When asked about the chances of missing out on discovering her twin brothers if she didn’t take the DNA test, Currie said, “It does make me sad. The fact that my mom would have lived with that secret all her life is heartbreaking. She can live with the rest of our lives fulfilled now. I’m glad I did it. There’s no regrets.”
Currie urges those curious about their genealogy to “just do it.”
“You’re going to either have a good relationship with these people, or you’re going to realize that no, you don’t want the disruption in your life, then you just choose not to do it,” Currie advised.
As for Currie and her new-found family, their happy-ending story continues.
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