PLEASANTON, CA — More than three decades after she was found abandoned on the streets of South Korea and eventually adopted by an American family, former Pleasanton resident Renee Alanko was reunited with her younger brother. A simple 23andMe DNA test brought the two together, according to Alanko.

The Oregonian reported that Alanko, who was born Jee Young Lee, was left by her father at the age of 4. She grew up in Tri-Valley, attended Amador Valley High and college in Berkeley. She still lives with her family in the Bay Area. Her brother, Justin Kragt, who was abandoned when he was just 2 years old, was also adopted by a family in the United States and spent his life in Oregon.

On her Facebook page, Alanko thanked the universe for bringing the duo together.

“I grew up often wishing I had someone who looked like me,” Alanko told Patch. “Now looking into Justin’s face and hearing his voice… it’s like a dream. It’s a dream come true!”

Alanko said she never expected to meet a blood relative because they had been abandoned separately in 1984. Read full story here.

Photo courtesy Gloria Alanko