After Losing Two Daughters, I Gained a Sister Thanks to MyHeritage DNA
Hello, my name is Katharina Leschaud, I am 68 years old, and I would like to share with you the story of the surprising meeting with my half-sister, Marianne Dessarzin, thanks to a DNA test taken for fun.
I have been married for 45 years and I had 4 children: Cindy, Céline, Cyril, and Coralie. In 2003, I began my genealogical research into the family of my husband, Marc Leschaud, because his surname, written in this way, was not very common in Switzerland. He is originally from Geneva, and at that time, we were the only couple on the Internet with that name.
My various research efforts taught me that in the 1600s and 1700s, my husband’s family bore the name Leschot and that they originated from Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel. Furthermore, it appears that the name Léchot or Leschot could originally be a variant of Lescot (= The Scotsman).
In November 2015 and April 2024, we unfortunately lost two daughters, each shortly after the birth of a child. We therefore have three grandchildren who have lost their mothers.
During this second period of mourning, I restarted my genealogical research, but this time on my own family — that is, the Schmid family, originally from Frutigen in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland.
An aerial view of Frutigen, Switzerland
In June 2024, MyHeritage advertised DNA tests that can reveal our geographical origins and also might help us find family members.
For fun, I suggested to my husband that we both take a DNA test, which might confirm if the name Leschaud belonged to a Scotsman who, according to legend, fought at Morat-Grandson in 1476 and married a young woman from Franche-Comté. On July 27, 2024, when my husband’s test results came back, we indeed saw that he had over 25% British-English-Scottish origins, which amused us greatly as it perfectly matched his supposed Scottish roots.
A detail from a painting depicting the Battle of Morat (1476), in which Marc’s ancestor fought, according to legend
The results of my own test arrived a day later, and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read: “Good news! We have discovered DNA matches for you. Marianne Dessarzin shares 25.3% DNA with you, which suggests she is likely your half-sister!”
It was a total shock! How could this be possible? This question ran through my head all night. The next day, I contacted Marianne, who had received the results at the same time as I did, asking for her impression because I couldn’t understand how it was possible.
Since my parents had already passed away, I couldn’t ask them for explanations, and I struggled to make sense of it. I was born in late November 1957, and my half-sister was born shortly before me in February 1957!!! I had never known of any sister other than Suzi, my elder sister, and Rolf, my big brother.
In the first message exchanged with Marianne, she explained that she was not at all surprised; she was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds in February 1957, abandoned at birth, and later adopted by a Swiss family. We decided to speak by phone the following day to learn more about Marianne’s journey, her search for her biological mother, and to talk about my father, who was clearly also hers.
Cathy’s father as a young man
As our telephone conversations progressed, we began to understand how this relationship happened. In the years 1956–1957, Marianne’s mother was working in the hospital at St. Imier as a laundry maid, and my father was staying alone in the village, just 100 meters from the hospital, away from his family. His official residence was still in Frutigen, and he was working in Renan because there was high unemployment in the Bernese Oberland. He was looking for an apartment in the Bernese Jura to move there with his family. While my mother was waiting to give birth to their third child (me), she was living with her parents in Frutigen along with my sister Suzi and my brother Rolf.
St. Imier, Switzerland, where Marianne’s parents met
In the 1950s, people did not travel much, and since money was scarce, my father Friedrich only rarely returned to his family. Friedrich (Fritz) certainly met Marianne’s mother during an evening out or over a drink, and they hit it off. What happened next is a matter of guesswork, but the result is simple: Marianne and I are half-sisters, and we found each other thanks to this DNA test.
Marianne and I exchanged numerous messages and phone calls, and we very quickly noticed that we had much in common. It feels to me as though we have known each other forever.
Marianne had two children, including a daughter who was born on May 20, 1984 — the exact same day and year of birth as my daughter Céline; an incredible coincidence, all just 50 km apart! Marianne’s older sister was born on the same day (November 25) as me!
Cathy, Marianne, and Suzi
The first official meeting between Marianne, Cathy, and Suzi took place on September 9, 2024, at Cathy’s home, where Marianne was able to get to know her other half-sister, Suzi. In October, we traveled to Marianne’s home in the Doubs region of France. For health reasons, Marianne was only able to meet her half-brother, Rolf, in February 2025.
Rolf, Marianne, Suzi, and Cathy
Since that fantastic meeting, there have been many phone calls, messages, and visits with Marianne’s daughter and grandchildren. For her part, Marianne has had the chance to meet our daughter, our son, and a granddaughter who has been living with us since her mother’s passing. We call each other every week, and It is always a pleasure to catch up. Neither of us ever had any doubt that we are half-sisters.
Following the death of my second daughter, I attended therapy sessions with a psychiatrist and told him this entire story. He then asked: “Why did you conduct genealogical research? Was it to find your sister?” I think that deep down, it’s true… what a joy to have found her!
Many thanks to Cathy for sharing her amazing story with us! If you’ve also made an incredible discovery with MyHeritage, we’d love to hear about it. Please share it with us via this form or email us at stories@myheritage.com.
