Fate, oftentimes, finds a funny way to reunite people.
In its mysterious ways, it can bring together souls that were meant to be together. Children to parents, old lovers separated by oceans, and siblings to their brothers and sisters.
Such a story surfaced when two strangers stumbled on an answer to a question they’d been asking for a long time. And as they searched for each other, fate would’ve laughed at the irony of their proximity.
Lainey Gafford-Topacio always knew she was adopted.
“I’ve always known I was adopted at three days old,” she said to FOX 5 Las Vegas. “When I turned 18, it kind of bothered me. When I turned 25 and then 40, and 50.”
In 1965, Sherry Mikos got pregnant. The Louisiana native decided to keep the pregnancy to herself.
“Nobody knew, not even her mother,” Gafford-Topacio said to the news outlet. “She actually went to her step-father’s house and they were the only people who knew about me.”
Lainey was given up to a family in Texas.
From being a family secret, she found herself as the youngest of seven children. While her biological family never knew anything about her, Gafford-Topacio, fortunately, lived in a house where her existence was acknowledged.
She grew up well but in the back of her mind, there was still a nagging feeling of where she came from. To help her answer the question, she turned to a DNA kit.
Lainey never matched anyone for two years.
Then, one day in 2018, she found out about an important piece of her identity puzzle. She had a younger half-sister.
“I looked on social media everywhere and I couldn’t find her so I finally looked on LinkedIn and there she was,” Gafford-Topacio said. “And as soon as I saw her teeth of all things, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ because we have the same teeth.”
Aly Mikos grew up in the state of Florida.
She was an only child, or so she thought. She only knew about the existence of her sister after her mother passed away in 2005. However, she never knew who or where her older sister was.
That is until she received an email. Gafford-Topacio took a leap of faith and sent the first message. Through their exchanges, they eventually decided to meet.
And this is where fate gave a comedic stroke to their reunion.
As they were exchanging addresses, they realized that they had been living close to one another in Las Vegas all this time. Two strangers who turned out to be sisters could’ve been crossing paths all along.
“We both lived in the Northwest part of the valley literally two intersections from each other,” Gafford-Topacio said.
Along with their husbands, the sisters also work for government entities. Even at their professions, they could’ve met one way or the other.
Gafford-Topacio can now finally say what she wanted to say growing up.
“I have a little sister! I was never able to say that growing up!” Gafford-Topacio said to the news outlet.
The two shared that they’re not focused on the past. Rather, they want to take this opportunity to build a relationship for the rest of their lives.
Gafford-Topacio came in at the perfect moment. Aly Mikos celebrated her 40th birthday with her, giving her older sister a chance to meet the family.
Watch the video below to learn more about how these long-lost sisters connected!
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