Most people want what they can’t have. That may be wanting brothers when you only have sisters or just wanting a sibling if you’re an only child. For senior Ellie Seracen, she simply does not have that problem. She’s actually pretty far from it. Everyone thinks about doing a DNA test out of curiosity, but most of the time, nothing that interesting comes up. However things were a little different for Seracen. “Ever since I was born, I knew there was a possibility I had other siblings,” Seracen said. The chances of finding out about unknown family members are nearly impossible. However, with a simple DNA test, you can unlock much larger parts to your family tree. “My mom wanted my brother and I to do a DNA test out of curiosity, so we took it to Ancestry,” Seracen said. However, their results weren’t exactly what they were expecting. “When we got the results back, there were a bunch of people that showed us to be closer than cousins,” Seracen said. “So we ended up reaching out and we were put into a Facebook group chat with about 50 people who ended up being our siblings.” Teens being teens, 18 of them ended up making a Snapchat group chat and they quickly planned to meet one another. “We planned a trip for the summer and we ended up getting super close while we were there.” Seracen said. Some siblings get along while others not so much. I feel like it’s safe to say that most of the time they at least know the other exists. Luckily for this family, getting along was never an issue. “We’re actually really close,” Seracen said. “Even the ones I don’t feel as close to, we definitely have similarities and get along very well.” Just when life couldn’t get any crazier, she occasionally ends up finding more siblings every couple weeks. “My brother called the donor place and they said there are at least 80 confirmed births,” Seracen said. “However, I’ve only met maybe 18 to 20 of them.” Discovering you have siblings you didn’t even know existed is scary to think about, let alone knowing they’re just a different version of you. “Some of us definitely favor our mom a lot more,” Seracen said. “But we all kind of have the same facial structure and similar mannerisms like the way we talk.” Like most big families, you definitely have your favorites. However, in a family of that size, it can be hard to pick just one. But for Seracen it wasn’t all that difficult. “One of my favorite sisters came down all the way from Canada this summer before we went and saw everyone else,” Seracen said. Although their relationships may have started a little out of the ordinary, they’re still nothing but family. As many as there are from all over the country, they will be sure to meet again soon. “We have already started planning a trip for the winter,” Seracen said. “I can’t wait to see them again.” .
