Jason Banwart didn’t think much of it when his wife recommended he complete a 23andMe DNA test. He had grown up with an adopted mom, and his wife encouraged him to do the test to learn more about his family’s health history.
But, it also provided Banwart a path to meet his biological mother for the first time. It’s something that had crossed his mind occasionally, he said, but he never put too much thought into it.
His biological mother, Kimberly Ramos, felt similarly. Occasionally, her mind wandered, but because it was a closed adoption, she suspected she wouldn’t be able to locate him. She tried not to think about it much.
But, after the DNA test, the two were able to connect for the first time in 43 years. And at Medium Rare in Baltimore, Maryland, on Sunday, with help from the restaurant, they enjoyed a Mother’s Day brunch together. Banwart also had the chance to meet his half sister for the first time.
“When I found Kim, it filled a hole in my heart that I didn’t even know was there,” Banwart said, “and just made a completeness to my life that I didn’t even know I was looking for.”
When Banwart and Ramos met for the first time in February 2023, he picked her up off the ground and held her for a few seconds. The emotion, he said, was overwhelming.
For the last year, Ramos has been trying to navigate work schedules to get Banwart to meet his half sister, Sarah York, who lives in New York. It hadn’t happened until Sunday.
Mark Bucher, Medium Rare’s co-owner, reached out to 23andMe and pitched the idea of bringing together a family for Mother’s Day. It’s an idea that’s evolved since 2021, when Bucher said the restaurant worked to reunite families that had been separated by quarantine.
Bucher paid for the families to fly to Maryland from Missouri and Florida, and York made the trip south from New York. Banwart’s biological mom got to be part of the experience, too.
“I am more blessed than anyone should be allowed to be blessed,” Ramos said. “Because I have my families all together now.”
The families have stayed in touch through phone and video calls, and York anticipates the relationships will continue to evolve.
“We’re just expanding the family,” York said. “Holidays and birthdays, we’ve just got more people to love now. … Definitely a top Mother’s Day for my mom.”
The reunion was meaningful for Bucher, too. His mom had passed away when he was a teenager, he said.
“When we can reunite moms and kids, and I have anything to do with it, that’s what we’re trying to do here,” Bucher said.
Sitting at a table surrounded by balloons and family, York said it seemed Ramos was glowing.
“We have more love in our family than ever before,” Ramos said.
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