Everyone has a different definition of what a family is, but it’s usually split into two — family is blood or family is a choice. However, Mark Macdonald and Rachel Elliott, a brother and sister, who found each other after being separated, have found a new meaning for the word that is richly layered between both complex worlds.

Everything Started When Mark Was Placed for Adoption

Mark knew he was adopted as a newborn and after getting married to his wife, Tina, the new family tried to have children but soon realized that their only way would be through adoption or surrogacy.

MacDonald opens up about how being adopted made him feel isolated from the world just for the fact he’s disconnected from humanity’s family tree and he selfishly wanted to have his own biological children. This was his way of connecting with the rest of the world and seeing his place.

In Search of His Roots and Connecting with a Long-Lost Sister

Mark is now residing in Oregon but was born in Canada and began searching for his birth mother. He soon learned that he had three more, full-blooded siblings from the same parents. Of all the new family members, his sister, Rachel Elliott really opened up a whole new chapter for MacDonald.

After tons of emails and a lifetime of stories, Mark traveled to meet his biological family but mostly it was about meeting his newfound sister. She immediately wanted to be a surrogate for Mark and Tina but was afraid that the couple might reject the offer. Time passed and Rachel traveled to visit his brother and made her offer.

The Immediate “Yes”

Despite being worried about such a proposition and preparing a whole speech that just didn’t work out and she just stumbled the word out of her mouth, Rachel got an immediate positive response.

The carrying sister admits how nervous she was but the “instant yes” was the best feeling, sitting around their dinner table, “grinning like idiots in the aftermath.”

Writing a Book Inspired by the Newborn Twin Girls

The brother and sister collaborated on writing a book, Love and Genetics, that took more than a dozen years and tells the remarkable story of how Elliott carried Mark’s twin girls, Aly (Alaska) and Zoe who are 13-years-old now.

The brother and sister wanted to put a positive story of hope and help other adoptees who are struggling with adoption reunion. A lot of questions come to mind, like what will you find, will you be ready, what new responsibilities may there be, what will your adoptive family think, and will their feelings be hurt by you even looking…?

None of these are easy to answer, but to MacDonald and his family, they were worth exploring and are open to the public on their Love and Genetics: A true story of adoption, surrogacy, and the meaning of family by Mark MacDonald and Rachel Elliott.

The 2022 Oscars will forever stay in history for a range of firsts. One of them was Megan Thee Stallion for becoming the first-ever female rap performer at the Academy Awards. What’s more, Stallion joined the stage with the original cast of Disney’s Encanto to perform a new verse of the hit song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”

Megan Thee Stallion Making History

You can literally say that Megan Thee Stallion rapped her way into Oscar history with a “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” verse, and you’d be right. While a live performance of the hit Disney song was indeed planned and previously announced, it would seem no one really expected the “Hot Girl Summer” star to show up in the middle of it and steal the spotlight with a special verse.

Sporting a dazzling gold dress, Stallion made history and gave everyone a piece of her mind. She also used the verse to give a shout-out to the three female hosts, including a special shout-out to Zendaya in the audience. Whether you loved or disliked the first live performance of the song, you can’t deny Stallion’s brilliance.

No One Saw It Coming

The audience was both shocked and thrilled to see Stallion join the original cast for the performance. When asked if he was aware of Megan’s participation in the song, Encanto’s director Jared Bush said that he knew “there was going to be something unexpected” in the show, but he had no idea it would be that. So, did he like it? He “absolutely loved it!”

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” stayed on the Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at Number One for weeks in January, and it seems like everyone finds a way to relate to the song. Seeing Megan Thee Stallion do it too “was mind-blowing,” said Bush. The audience went wild with Megan’s performance, and it will surely stay in Oscar history.