After 17 Years Of Marriage And 3 Children, A DNA Test Changed This Couple’s Life
How well do you know your family? All of your family, I mean. Is it relatively small, enough to keep track of everyone, or are you spread out across the country, enough so that there are some very, very extended members you've never met before?
Both have their benefits and drawbacks, and one isn't necessarily better than the other, but having very distant relatives can cause some shocking mixups in ways you'd ever expect...like what one Colorado woman and her husband found out for themselves.
If you're looking for more information on your life and your individual sign, then you'll need your own zodiac reading. We're each on our own unique path and what some struggle with this season, might not be applicable to you too.
Understand your purpose and your potential so that you can take control of your emotions, your life, and your future by clicking HERE.
A Moment Of Fame
When it comes to the digital world, going viral can be immensely rewarding. In just a matter of hours, a post or a video can become an overnight sensation and help catapult a person, business, or thing to worldwide fame.
However, the downside of going viral is that it can quickly backfire and make the spotlight harsher and more unforgiving than ever, especially if what you went viral for could be seen as shameful or embarrassing. One woman knows this better than anyone, as one of her personal posts exploded in fame and had her name plastered across headlines.
A Simple Beginning
Celina Quinones, a realtor from Colorado, had a TikTok of hers go viral after it revealed an extremely shocking detail about her personal life, one that had been just as surprising to her when she found out about it.
The video features a photo of herself and her husband, Joseph, at their wedding. On-screen text reads, "Married my husband in 2006. Not thinking anything of it we had 3 kids." There is also a superimposed video of a man dancing and singing along to the song in the background.
Surprise Of The Century
The music suddenly stops and the man in the videos throws off his headphones with a crashing sound as the next photo appears. It's a still from the 'FamilyTreeDNA' results page showing that Celina and Joseph are related on their paternal side.
The on-screen text now reads, "Come to find out we were related and cousins."
Of course, the response to this video was huge. As of writing, it has over 4.4 million views and thousands of comments from stunned viewers.
Remaining Unfazed
Celina spoke with PEOPLE about the video, her experiences, and what the reception has been like.
"There's a lot of negative comments, it's horrible," she said. "People keep asking, 'Why would you do that? Why would you post this?' But I take everything with a grain of salt. I'm a realtor, so I'm used to getting badgered all the time, so I'm like, ah, it's nothing."
It's true that many of the top comments were less about them being cousins and more about her sharing the information, with one reading, "You couldn't torture this information out of me. We would have taken this to the grave."
No Indication
Celina and Joseph have been married since 2006, neither having any clue that they were cousins. Their families also seemingly had no idea, as none of them recognized each other before or during the wedding.
"We ended up having our wedding, and even then, our grandmas seemed to be a lot alike, and they got along, but still, nothing clicked," she said.
Joseph added, "We didn't think about it. I never saw her at family reunions, funerals, or weddings."
Then Everything Changed
It wasn't until Celina decided she wanted to have a better idea of her family tree and ordered DNA kits through MyHeritage that they'd learn the truth.
"I ordered the DNA tests. They came in, and sure enough, we did our swabs, put them in the mail, and off they went. Then we got the results back, and I searched the family tree DNA — another part of the search — and saw him pop up there. And I go, 'Oh no.'"
Initial Uncertainty
"I was in shock. I was a little depressed over it, to be honest," she said, also admitting that she wasn't sure if she and Joseph should remain together. "But this was after we already had three kids, and all of them were healthy. They have 10 fingers, 10 toes, but it was just a shock."
Celina and Joseph have two sons, ages 15 and 13, and a 10-year-old daughter. They've all been perfectly healthy their entire lives, so her and Joseph's relation clearly hasn't caused any sort of genetic issue.
Eventual Confidence
Joseph seemed less concerned about the whole ordeal.
"Joseph was like, 'Babe, don't worry about it. It's not a big deal. Just brush it off.' I was like, 'Should we get a divorce? Are we even supposed to be together?' I started rethinking [...] and then after a while, I was like, 'Nope, we're just staying together.' There's nothing we can do about it. I'm not going to let some blood come between us."
The Josephs still don't know to what exact degree they're related, but the DNA tests indicate they're somewhere between second and seventh cousins. The closest relative they'd share would be a great-grandparent.
And Finally, Peace
Celina says she has since paused her family tree research, but eventually would like to know how she and Joseph are connected.
As for her TikTok, she explains that she simply thought it would be funny.
"I didn't think anything of it," she says. "I didn't think it would go this viral."
Though she hadn't been expecting the fame, she's ultimately glad she posted it.
"I feel a little more free. Like, it is what it is. There are people that love no matter what or who, so why can't I love my cousin by accident?"
A Unique Scenario
What Celina felt during this journey is surely indescribable to anyone who hasn't been in that exact same scenario. After all, it's not something the common man can relate to, so no wonder most of the reception was people staring on in awe and confusion.
No matter what you think about her and Joseph's decision to remain together, their unwillingness to bend or be affected by swaths of strangers chewing them out online is commendable. Celina has truly looked into the belly of the beast with this one, but walked away more confident than ever.
If you're looking for more information on your life and your individual sign, then you'll need your own zodiac reading. We're each on our own unique path and what some struggle with this season, might not be applicable to you too.
Understand your purpose and your potential so that you can take control of your emotions, your life, and your future by clicking HERE.
