If you grew up with siblings, you will understand the strong bond you share. As we grow up, distance is often what keeps us apart from our brother/sister but that bond never breaks. Now, imagine being separated from your sibling at a young age and only finding them 18 years later. Even though you’ve had so much time apart and alone, that bond is likely still strong. That is exactly what happened to this brother and sister when they were adopted to separate families. Grab the tissues, this one’s a tear-jerker for sure!
Shawny and Luke were separated at a young age
Born in New Mexico, Shawny and Luke were like any other siblings, they adored one another. Even though they were both in separate foster homes, their foster families made sure to allow the siblings time with one another as often as possible. Sadly, things drastically changed when Luke was adopted around the age of four. Shawny was not included in the adoption and Luke moved very far away with his new family. Shawny was adopted and both lived happy lives with their new families. The only thing missing was each other.
Read: Pregnant Teen Chose Adoption – 33 Years Later, She Reunites with Her Son
Thanks to social media, the pair found one another
Neither sibling knew anything about the other by the time they were older. All they knew was their first names. 18 years had passed since they had been separated. Luke never forgot his little sister and decided to try and find her. A task that seemed impossible with only a first name. Luke knew that she was out there, somewhere, and did not give up in trying to locate her.
Luke was living in Baltimore at the time and eventually found someone he believed to be Shawny on Facebook. She was staying in Las Vegas. The two started talking and soon realized that they were related. However, the pair could not afford the trip to see one another. Luke also had a child and family so just getting up and leaving was not an option.
Daytime talk show The Real asked Luke to make an appearance
The crew of the talk show known as “The Real” decided to help make their reunion a reality. Luke appeared on the show and spoke about fond memories he had of his little sister. When she eventually came on stage, both Luke and Shawny started crying. It had taken 18 years, but they had finally found one another.
”Right now, I’m at a loss for words. My heart’s racing; I’m shaking. This is amazing,” Shawney said. She had no idea she had a brother up until the age of 13. She was just too young to remember him the way he remembered her.
On the show, Luke mentioned how they first got chatting, describing the moment as surreal.
“Surreal, I have no words for it. She messaged me back right away almost and said, Hey, I think I am your sister. We had to go through a process of conformation sending pictures back and fourth.”
You can watch the heartfelt moment in the video below, don’t forget to grab some tissues before watching!
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