Sewickley woman connects with sister through 23andMe
Pamela Kay Peters Hustus walked into the restaurant thinking she was having a birthday lunch with her son and daughter. She looked around and saw her other son, her husband and friends and family members.
They were there for a surprise 75th birthday party in March.
She then noticed one more guest to her left. As soon as she made eye contact, the tears flowed.
Her half-sister, Linda Sovich Vaccaro, had traveled to Lebanon, Conn., from Sewickley for the celebration. The two had recently connected through 23andMe, a genetic testing site. They have the same father.
The sisters had seen each other via Facebook Messenger video calls.
“I cried the minute she saw me too,” said Sovich Vaccaro, 66, who grew up in Leetsdale. “Pam didn’t know I was coming. She kept asking me when I was going to visit, and I told her April because I wanted to surprise her.”
The moment was captured on video. Every time they watch it the women cry.
“I was in total shock,” Peters Hustus said. “We both feel very blessed.”
Like others who have found each other through such genealogy sites, the sisters (they don’t call each other half-sister) are grateful to know about each other. They don’t dwell on the past years they missed – they are focused on the present and future.
Sovich Vaccaro had originally signed up for Ancestry DNA a few years ago because she knew her dad was not her biological father. It gave detailed information on her genetic bloodline on her maternal side, but nothing connected her with any paternal information.
Sovich Vaccaro decided to try 23andMe when she saw a holiday sale for the test.
“I had confirmation years back that the loving dad that raised me was not my biological father,” Sovich Vaccaro said. “I was lucky to have been raised with a man who loved me, the only issue in my mind was, if not Ukrainian, what was the paternal background?”
In December, she did the test.
An email arrived on Jan. 8.
“I was encouraged by my husband, Michele, to try the 23andMe,” Sovich Vaccaro said. “When I read the email I was like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God.’ I was stunned when the first reports came in and I was presented with a sibling. “
Sovich Vaccaro said didn’t want to wait for 23andMe to connect her with Peters Hustus. A realtor for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty, she found her sister through Facebook and got a phone number from the White Pages.
She made the call.
Peters Hustus, who is retired, didn’t pick up right away because she didn’t recognize the number. Sovich Vaccaro started to leave a message and Peters Hustus got on the phone.
They talked for a few minutes and decided to connect the next day so Peters Hustus could have some time to process the information. She called early the next morning and they’ve been talking at least once a week since.
Peters Hustus had been on Ancestry to research family medical history back in 2010. Peters Hustus’ husband, Kenneth James Hustus Sr. and their children, Kenneth James Hustus Jr., Anastasia Rosemarie Bray and Richard Lee Hustus, welcomed Sovich Vaccaro. Sovich Vaccaro’s husband, Michele Vaccaro, and sons Glen William Sovich and Brad Michael Sovich are looking forward to meeting Peters Hustus.
The sisters love sewing and gardening and they have some of the same characteristics and mannerisms. Both own Yorkshire terriers. Photos of the sisters at a younger age show a resemblance.
Both said finding out this information would have been more challenging if one of them was ill or gone.
“It’s not about the past,” Peters Hustus said. “This is the beginning. This is where our relationship starts.”
When Sovich Vaccaro arrived at the restaurant, she told all the other diners about the surprise. The customers stayed for the moment.
“Our first meeting, with the help of her daughter, was when she contacted me about Pam’s birthday,” Sovich Vaccaro said. “So here we are, in our later years, celebrating the connection, on my sister’s 75th birthday.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.