GRAND BLANC, MI (WJRT/CNN) – After decades of being an only child, a Nevada woman learned her small family is much larger.
Kathleen Sarman’s mother recently confessed she’s not her biological mother.
Sarman didn’t believe her at first because her adoptive mother is battling dementia, which has been progressing quickly. So, Sarman started asking around and found out the news was real.
"I was sort of in shock," Sarman said.
That’s when she started using the website ancestry.com to find anyone related to her.
"A cousin, Brenda, showed up on the DNA list and I got in touch with her and she likes to work with genealogy," Sarman explained.
So, Sarman and Brenda Rainey started talking online. The two began to look at the family tree, eventually pinpointing exactly how they’re are related.
"And discovered it was my father’s brother," Rainey said.
To welcome Sarman into the family, Rainey put on a welcoming party for her long-lost relative.
"We’re calling it a meet-and-greet because we haven’t met them before, so it’s not a reunion," Rainey said.
Sarman didn’t realize her family was this big.
"Well, I think when I am done with this weekend, I will have met 40 people. So, that’s pretty big and there’s some I know of and that I’ve seen pictures of that are not here tonight," Sarman said.
Her biggest surprise was finding she wasn’t an only child. She learned she has six other siblings.
"It’s been like a dream and I still have to pinch myself," Sarman said.
Unfortunately, Sarman was not able to meet her parents. They both passed away several years ago.
She does plan on visiting her remain brothers in Kentucky later this week.
Copyright 2018 WJRT via CNN. All rights reserved.
Source: New feed