Couple Realize They’re Twins After DNA Test

Unexpected Truth

The air in the room was tense as the doctor gave them the news. How could this be true? They were in love, they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. They had no reason to believe that things were not okay, but they weren’t.

The doctor informed them that they were siblings. How could this have happened?

Brittany Henley

Brittany Henley had just gone through a painful divorce. Aside from the unbearable loneliness and upheaval she was going through in her life, she felt like the family she had always wanted was no longer on the cards.

She had been looking for a new start, so she decided to make a huge change. Little did she know, her troubles were just beginning.

Picking Up The Pieces

When 29-year-old Brittany had picked up the pieces and come to terms with her failed marriage, she knew that she needed to make some dramatic changes.

After nights of soul-searching in the house she’d always dreamed would be filled with her children, she finally made a decision. But starting a new life wouldn’t be easy…

A New Beginning

Brittany left her old life behind and relocated to Fort Payne, Alabama. She got a retail job at a small retail store. She felt optimistic about her decision. She purchased a 3-bedroom “fixer-upper” home that desperately needed renovations.

It was a project she’d given herself to take her mind off things. She still wanted a husband and kids… but for now, all that would have to wait.

Keeping Herself Occupied

The renovations Brittany planned to do would cost a lot of money – money she didn’t have. But slowly and surely, she began to make a dent in her to-do list, making most of the repairs herself.

Her project kept her occupied and focused while she slowly got her life back on track. But life had something else in store for her. She met Mark.

Instant Attraction

Brittany met Mark Torres while she was at work and he immediately asked her out. But she had just come out of a long-term relationship, so she declined. Despite not feeling quite ready to date again, she couldn’t deny the instant feeling of attraction.

A few months later, Brittany felt like they were ready to try things out as a couple. But they had no idea what trouble was looming down the road.

Happily Married

Fast-forward to a year later, and Brittany and Mark were happily married. Brittany finally felt that her life was finally going in the right direction.

Even though her last marriage had ended on such a sour note, she’d learned to love again. And, with Mark’s help, her renovation project was almost finished. But something was still painfully missing.

She Wanted A Big Family

Brittany knew that she wasn’t getting any younger, and she still desperately wanted children. She’d been adopted as an only child, so having a big family had always been important to her.

After all, they were living in the 3-bedroom house by themselves… it made sense to her to take the next step. They decided it was time to try for a baby.

Trouble In Paradise

Everything had seemed like a dream come true until reality came knocking. Things had been going well for the couple so far, but there was something that made Brittany question everything.

They wanted to have kids but, almost a year later, they were having trouble conceiving. It seemed that mother nature just wasn’t on board. And there was a devastating reason for that.

Getting Help

Brittany knew that it was time to get help, so she and Mark decided to consult a fertility specialist to explore the possibility of IVF.

The doctor explained the process and it seemed like a viable option, so they decided to take the next steps. But, when the doctor ran some routine tests, he discovered something that nobody could have prepared for.

Something Amiss

During the in-vitro fertilization process, a DNA sample from both the male and female is checked to get a profile of the couple’s genetic background – this is to safeguard against hereditary defects that could be passed on to the baby.

Although the DNA is not usually checked for any relation between the samples, the lab assistant noticed something that made her do a double-take.

Strange Similarity

The lab assistant who was handling Brittany and Mark’s tests was immediately struck by the similarity between the two DNA samples. At first, she thought that the couple may be closely related, perhaps cousins – which does happen sometimes.

But, on closer inspection, the findings were much worse than that. The doctor called Brittany and Mark back into the clinic to break the devastating news.

The Bombshell

Brittany and Mark sat opposite the doctor, completely oblivious that what he was about to say would leave them completely shellshocked.

The doctor gently explained that the results from the DNA tests indicated that Brittany and Mark were, in fact, fraternal twins. At first, Brittany thought that it had to be some kind of joke.

Disbelief

Brittany sat, dumbstruck by the news, and then Mark yelled: “You can’t be serious? There must be some kind of mistake!” Then, he burst out laughing. “Sure, we have birthdays on the same day, but that’s just a coincidence…” he said, trailing off.

But, unfortunately for them, it wasn’t a mistake. Seeing that the doctor was dead serious, the reality began to dawn on them. But how had this happened?

Separate Families

“The biological parents of the couple had died in a car crash when the couple were infants, and they had no close family willing to adopt them. They’d been taken into state care, and were adopted out to separate families,” the doctor, who wishes to remain anonymous, said.

“Due to a filing error, neither foster family had ever been told that their adopted child had a twin.” And they had met each other purely by chance. So, what now?

Terrible Situation

“I really hope they can work something out,” the doctor said. “For me, it’s a particularly unusual case because my job is all about helping couples conceive a child. This is the first time in my career that I’ve been glad I haven’t succeeded in that regard.”

Brittany and Mark had no choice but to approach the high court.

Annulled

The devastated couple brought their case before the high court and told their terrible story. The court immediately ruled Brittany and Mak’s union as legally invalid, and their marriage was annulled.

Their case prompted activists to fight for adopted children to have greater rights to know the identity of their biological parents. And Brittany and Mark aren’t the only ones who have found themselves in this terrible situation.

Adriana and Leandro

Brazilian couple Adriana and Leandro had known each other for ten years. They had dated, gotten married, and even had a six-year-old daughter before they found out that they were a lot closer than they had initially thought.

Adriana and Leandro had bonded over not knowing who their mothers were and had spent their lives trying to track their moms down.

Inseparable

After a failed marriage, Adriana moved back to her hometown. That’s when she met Leandro. They instantly hit it off.

Adriana and Leandro both knew that they had been abandoned by their birth mothers at a very young age. Adriana hadn’t seen her mom since she was a year old, and Leandro only learned at age 8 that the woman he thought was his mom was actually his stepmom. They could never have known the awful truth.

Reaching Out

Even as Adriana and Leandro got married and had a child together, they never stopped looking for their birth mothers.

Adriana was 39 years old when she reached out to a local radio program called Radio Globo’s The Time is Now. The radio show specialized in reuniting lost relatives, so she asked them to help her find her mother.

The News

Adriana was over the moon when she got the call. The people who did the research and presented the segment had successfully tracked her mother down, and they were going to reunite them live on air.

She had waited for this moment for 38 years and couldn’t believe it was finally happening. Little did she know, all her dreams were about to be shattered.

The Big Day

On the big day, the radio presenters introduced Adriana to her long-lost mother, Maria. “We thought it was funny that both our mothers had the same name, but it is a common name so we just thought it was a coincidence,” Adriana revealed in an interview.

When Adriana’s mother revealed, live on air, that she had another child – a son named Leandro – Adriana felt her stomach drop. Yes, it could have been a coincidence that she and Leandro’s mother had the same name… but this was something else.

The Truth

“I don’t believe that you’re telling me this,” Adriana said, in tears. “Leandro is my husband.” There was an awkward silence as both parties processed the news.

But, unfortunately, it was true. The man she’d been with for ten years was her own biological sibling. When she got over the initial shock, Adriana had another terrible thought.

His Reaction

Adriana was terrified to go home after the radio show. She couldn’t just turn off her feelings for her husband… she was so confused. But how would Leandro react now that he knew the truth?

“Now I’m scared to go home and find out that Leandro doesn’t want me anymore,” she admitted. “I love him so much.”

Committed

Leandro, however, is still committed to his wife – even after hearing the terrible truth. “At first we were really knocked by it all, but we had a family meeting and told everyone that we are going to stay husband and wife, whatever anyone might think,” Adriana told Radio Globo.

“Of course it would have been different if we had known all this before, but we didn’t and we fell in love, Adriana said. “We have so many plans together. Nothing is going to break us up. Nothing.”