Kristin Schoonveld was trying to trace her family tree when she connected with her biological son she never knew existed until she took a DNA test. In an interview with People, Kristin related that she took a 23andMe DNA test, and when the results came back, she was surprised that she saw a match that indicated "son."
The result puzzled Kristin because she had never been pregnant. However, when she looked at the profile, she found it odd that "he looked like me." She eventually learned that he was conceived through in vitro fertilization, and he was looking for his biological mother. Then it dawned on her that she had donated her eggs in 1994, thinking it might be an excellent way to help someone start a family.
Kristin sent him a message, and after several exchanges through calls and texting, they met in person before the pandemic lockdown started. "It was just instant love," she recalled.
Finding love
In January of 2018, Kristin married Brian Schoonveld. It was a marriage brought together by grief, friendship, and love for a person with special needs.
Three decades earlier, Kristin worked with people with special needs. It was then that she met nine-year-old Nick Schoonveld. Kristin recalled that he had a close relationship with the boy, and they loved each other. They lost touch and got reconnected in 2012 when Kristin volunteered with the Special Olympics.
Grace, Nick's mother, was eventually diagnosed with lung cancer, prompting Kristin to spend more time with Nick. When Grace died in 2015, Kristin worried about Nick, and his father, Brian. To help out, she picked up Nick every day and started hanging out with Nick and Brian.
"Brian likes to talk about how wonderful it was that I came into their lives when I did, but it's the exact same thing for me," she says. By the end of the summer, she was in love with Brian. The couple married in January 2018, and she legally adopted Nick that May.
The search for her family
Her marriage and recent adoption led her to find her own biological family. When she took the DNA test, Kristin found her birth mother and uploaded her DNA results to My Heritage. She eventually took a 23andMe test to search for her father.
Meanwhile, Parker Erickson was also searching for his biological mother. He was 14 when his parents told him that he was conceived using an egg donor. Parker, 26, and his girlfriend, Kaylee Green, wondered if he had other biological siblings. Later, he took a DNA test.
At first, the 23andMe test said that he had a cousin named Tami Kennerson. However, when they spoke, she also said she was adopted and searched for her biological mother. When Kristin took her DNA test, the data changed from his cousin to his aunt.
Meeting her son was magical for both of them. They both felt as if they had known each other their whole lives. Parker was also charming with Nick. Eventually, Parker, who his "egg mom inspired," also volunteered in the Special Olympics.
"We've established a relationship that's going to last the rest of our lives," Kristin said.
