Men who are best friends for over 60 years discover they are biological brothers

Friends often become our chosen family, sometimes even closer than blood relatives. Many people wish their friends were their family, imagining how much more meaningful their relationship would be. For Alan Robinson and Walter Macfarlane, this wish came true a few years ago, according to CBS News. The two had been friends for over 60 years before discovering they were actually brothers. Born a few months apart, they met in 6th grade and remained inseparable for decades, bound by destiny.

Raised in Hawaii, the duo bonded over school, football, and more. Macfarlane didn’t know his father and conducted extensive research to find his ancestry through DNA matches. “So then we started digging into all the matches he started getting,” Cindy, Macfarlane’s daughter, told KHON-TV. “There came a concern when I would fill out medical forms, I didn’t know what to put under family history,” Macfarlane said in an interview with TODAY. The man stumbled across Robinson’s username which was also on the DNA website. Turns out, he too, had been searching for his family.

Robinson was adopted and was as eager to know whom he belonged to. “I had a younger brother that I lost when he was 19, so I never had nieces or nephews. I thought I’ll never know my birth mother, I’ll never have any nieces or nephews,” Robinson said. After acquiring Robinson’s username as a match, Macfarlane learned that they did have several identical matches and that their X chromosomes matched too. Following many phone calls and research, the two came to the understanding that they were indeed brothers from the same mother.

“It was a shock!” Macfarlane exclaimed. However, the duo had a hysterically perfect way to check for themselves. “Yeah, it was a shock, definitely. And then we thought about it and compared forearms,” Robinson said. “Yea, hairy arms, that did it!” Macfarlane added. The duo was beyond delighted to be reunited with a newfound, much-anticipated relationship. They revealed the news to their family members shortly after and they were all astounded. In tears, the duo finally accepted their joyful destiny. “It was an overwhelming experience, it’s still overwhelming. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for me to get over this feeling,” Robinson expressed.

To imagine that they had been together for over years and just got more profoundness added to their friendship is phenomenal. There was only one way for them to get closer and right enough, they did. The duo had their regrets of being together yet being apart all these years. “We missed all the time we could have been there for each other, through the highs and the lows, Mcfarlane said.”  What lies ahead for the duo and their families is ultimate bonding, reaching out and making up for all the time they lost not knowing they were brothers. It is a story with a nostalgic past and a refreshing future.