FOND DU LAC, Wis. — What are the odds that you would find out your lifelong friend is actually your cousin? It happened to two Fond du Lac women who were adopted as children.
It was a DNA kit that uncovered their incredible family history. Amy Farder and Kristi Sook have been friends since high school.
"We met through our boyfriends at the time," Sook said.
Both shared the connection that they were adopted at birth and yearned to learn more.
"Going to the doctor is a little more difficult because you don't have your health history," said Farder.
It took until this year to find out they have similar roots. Sook was gifted 23andMe. What immediately popped up was that her friend Farder is her first cousin.
"I said 'How? What? How is that possible that we're first cousins?'" said Sook.
Farder took the test as well just to be sure.
"There's many fourth (and) fifth cousins out there that are pretty far removed but she showed up right away as first cousin," Farder said.
"My biological mother and her biological father are brother and sister," explained Sook, adding that when they put it all together, "I think we talked for probably eight hours."
Farder and Sook would soon come to realize not only were they born in the same Madison hospital and grew up as friends in Fond du Lac, their adoptive mothers and biological mothers had separate connections as well.
"You were adopted by two different sets of parents that live in Fond du Lac?" asked TMJ4 reporter Julia Fello.
Sook responded, "That know each other and worked together."
Farder said their biological mothers were also friends.
"They went to grade school, middle school, high school and then they went to beauty school together as well," she said.
Farder also says their bond now goes beyond blood, "It helped to meet all the other family members when the two of us were together."
Sook said, "We actually got together wrote letters, and mailed them at the same time."
This weekend, they plan to meet their grandmother. An outcome they had to share with all of us to give hope that everything may just happen for a reason.
