Hawaii Men Learn That They’re Biological Brothers After 60 Years of Friendship
Family
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Do you see a resemblance between the two friends pictured above? That’s because they’re not just friends; they’re brothers.
Walter Macfarlane, 74, and Alan Robinson, 72, grew up together and have been buddies for more than 60 years. They recently found out through DNA samples that they have the same mother and are in fact biological brothers.
Both men, born in Honolulu, were adopted — Macfarlane by his grandparents and Robinson by a new family — and they met in the sixth grade. They played high school football together and their friendship blossomed into adulthood; the Hawaii lifers sent their kids to the same school and vacationed together.
Macfarlane and Robinson were understandably blown away after learning of their relation, and they shared the truly remarkable story with their friends and family. Their loved ones were elated upon hearing the news.
“I grew up calling him Uncle Alan,” Cindy Macfarlane-Flores, Walter’s daughter, told CNN. “Uncle Alan was my brother’s idol growing up because he was an amazing pilot. I have a few pictures of us on his sailboat at 9 and 10, and his daughter Tara was about 4. When my brother Aldon and I were kids, they hung out a ton.”
Robinson admitted that when the discovery was made, he could barely contain his emotions.
“Normally I don’t cry easily, but I broke down in front of everyone,” he told the website. “The emotions were so strong. It was such an overwhelming experience. The family was so warm and nurturing and accepting.”
Now officially family members, Macfarlane and Robinson are planning trips with friends and family, and they have lunch together nearly every day.
“If you could pick a family, I think he would have picked the Macfarlanes as a family,” Eva Robinson, Alan’s wife, told CNN. “That’s how much we liked them. Our children are all Facebook friends and it’s so wonderful to see the relationships growing. You can tell the families are intertwined now.”
Their next mission? Finding their biological fathers. But in the meantime they’re going to continue to enjoy each other’s company and cherish this newfound gift.
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