For years, Candace Eloph searched for her half-brother, who was given up for adoption in 1977
For years, Candace Eloph searched for her half-brother, who was given up for adoption in 1977. She found him living across the street.
"I never thought it would happen like this. Never. Ever," she said.
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Reunited: Jamie Wheat with neighbour he now knows is his sister, Candace Eloph, centre, and their mom, Joellen Cottrell |
Three decades ago, Eloph's mother Joellen Cottrell gave birth to a boy when she was 16 and gave him up for adoption. Cottrell searched for her son over the years, without success. She eventually had other children.u00a0
Fast forward three decades.
Eloph moved into a house in Shreveport. Across the street lived a 32-year-old man named Jamie Wheat.
"We were sitting one day, talking, and she said, 'You know what? I had a brother born January 27, 1977, that was adopted,'" Wheat said. "I was like, I'm adopted."
Cottrell and Wheat decided to take a DNA test. The results: There's a 99.995 per cent probability that the two are related.u00a0
Reunited with his birth mother, Wheat plans to make up for lost time. "I feel like a weight has been lifted off of me," he said. "I can move forward."
