Growing up, a question always loomed in the back of Shanice Wilkerson’s mind.
“I just always wanted to know who the other half of me was,” she said.
So last July, 25-year-old Wilkerson took a “23 and me” DNA test. Within months, its results brought her from New York City to this YouTube video in Orlando.
The video shows her sitting beside an older half-sister, Delisa Cunningham, after meeting for the first time.
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“We really kind of hit it off pretty instantly, the chemistry was there. She stayed at my house the entire weekend,” Cunningham said.
The news was also a surprise for Delisa’s dad, Rayland, who lives in Jacksonville, and had no idea he had another daughter.
“I was open to, you know, find out if indeed I was the father,” he said.
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When the two met this past October, the resemblance was clear and DNA confirmed what could they could already see.
And so a new relationship began.
“You know, taking it day by day, trying to incorporate her into my life, to start with, and then to my family’s life,” Rayland said.
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Their family’s journey is one that’s becoming so common that companies like Ancestry DNA said they have a special unit to help members process surprise discoveries.
Many seek to fill in their family trees to uncover medical history.
Wilkerson said she hopes her search inspires others.
“Yes, it’s a very scary process because you never know what the outcome is going to be, but the outcome could be beautiful, because, you know, just look at us,” Wilkerson said.
