Family is a blessing that not all people are able to have.
When all else fails, it is always your family who’s there to support you. And for Alonzo, finding a family who treated him like their own is the best thing that ever happened to him.
Young Alonzo was adopted by the Riveras when he was only five years old. He was too young to know or to remember his own biological family, but it did not make him sad because the family who accepted him in their lives cared for him and loved him like a real son.
Two years after he was adopted, the Rivera couple had a daughter, Kari, who Alonzo loved like a real sister. They grew up together and loved each other like family. Kari did not even know that Alonzo was adopted until their father passed away. But to her, knowing this fact did not change anything. Alonzo is and will always be his brother, adopted or not.
For more than 20 years, Alonzo thought he had no real family of his own. When he was younger, he was able to bond with his half-brother Felipe, who was then in foster care.
The two boys connected and Felipe spent holidays with the Rivera family whenever he can, but that lasted until Alonzo turned nine years old. Alonzo recalled that Felipe was not allowed by the foster home to go to his place because of his behavior. From then on, the boys did not see each other again.
The email that started it all.
Earlier in 2019, one of Alonzo’s biological brothers decided to send his DNA details to 23andme, the first and only direct-to-consumer DNA test that includes more than 55 health reports that meet FDA requirements. The results were eventually generated, and it turned out that there was a match for the guy. He was able to track down his biological first cousin.
The two relatives connected and realized they could track down everyone in the family through this process. They sought out everyone and gradually, what used to be two relatives turned into lots of blood-related men and women, including Alonzo’s biological siblings.
One by one, this brother found his other brother, later on, his sister, and eventually, all their efforts led to Alonzo.
Three of these siblings were adopted by the same family which meant they grew up together. However, they had no idea where their other siblings were. Through further searches via Facebook and the internet, the siblings were able to track down Alonzo.
In fact, they found a lot of family members including some of their cousins. Alonzo was the last to be found and they thought they would not find him or reconnect with him anymore because they remembered him being adopted by a military family who probably went to Europe of somewhere international.
Kari’s parents did serve in the military but it was not for long. The family stayed in America until the time Alonzo finally reconnected to her siblings.
At one point, the biological siblings were only 30 minutes away from each other and they had no idea!
What led Alonzo to his siblings was his adoptive mother whom his brothers and sisters friended on Facebook. She was more than happy to serve as their connection to their brother.
And then, it was finally time to see each other
After more than two decades, everyone was just so excited to meet and see each other face to face. Alonzo could not hide his nervousness from Kari because although he and his siblings have talked on the phone, looking them in the eye and actually spending some time with them is still nerve-wracking. He just knew he’d cry the moment they reunite!
It took Kari and Alonzo four hours of driving just to see Alonzo’s biological siblings. Alonzo is definitely nervous but he is also visibly excited to see his long lost family.
Unfortunately, Felipe is not available to join the Friday night reunion of the siblings but he still wanted to see Alonzo badly. Fate seemed to be on their side because when Felipe heard about the address of the aunt that Kari and Alonzo were staying in, Felipe pulled up really fast because he lived in the very same complex! He was literally a few steps away from the house.
Felipe and Alonzo were so alike that they even had the same voice! It was an amazingly touching moment, the first of many on that journey.
Later on, Alonzo was able to meet his brother Jess and sister Cheyenne whom he already talked to on the phone. However, seeing them in the flesh and actually embracing them was the best feeling in the world for Alonzo.
It took them over 20 years before they finally met. That Friday, Alonzo found his biological family, and piece by piece, his identity has become clearer.
The following day, his other brother Caleb went to see him in their brother’s house. Their older Christina was also present to join in the emotional reunion. Kari was watching in awe as her beloved brother saw his siblings and witnessed his overwhelming happiness fr finally finding his biological family.
Kari shared the awesome video showing the siblings’ moving reunion on YouTube and inspired people online with his brother’s amazing story of familial love that bridges years of being apart. No matter how long it took them to finally meet, the beauty in their story is that the love they felt as brothers and sisters still remained.
What a touching reunion! Learn more about their incredible story by watching the video below.
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