A woman was in for the shock of her life when she discovered that her late uncle was actually her biological father and her cousin was actually her half-sister.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Casey O'Connor and Alana Horton always felt more like sisters than cousins. They lived next door to each other. That's because they are actually sisters.
"We spent every school holiday together playing dress-up and making up silly dance routines that we'd perform for our families," O'Connor told People. "She was my best friend. I always put it down to us being cousins, who can also share a similar resemblance. Little did I know there was a lot more to the story."
It was only years later that she discovered her late uncle was actually her father. Her cousin called her one day and suggested that O'Connor's mom once had an affair.
"She told me that I'm gonna want to go and sit down somewhere quiet. And I thought, 'Here we go,'" O'Connor said. "[Horton] proceeded to tell me that her mum had confessed to her that she had suspected my mum of having an affair with her husband around the time that I was conceived."
Uncle and Father
After sitting with the news for a while, O'Connor finally decided to get tested to see if the claim was true. She soon discovered that she was not related to her father at all. Another DNA test later confirmed that she and her cousin were half-sisters.
"One positive to come out of this is knowing that my childhood best friend was actually my sister the whole time," O'Connor shares. "It has explained our strong bond and brought us closer on a whole other level."
Despite learning the news, O'Connor remains close with her father. He was the man who raised her after all, and nothing changes that fact for her. "He has been my biggest supporter through all of this, and throughout my whole life," O'Connor says. "He's a real rock, and I know I can always depend on him."
As for sharing her story, it's something she's not ashamed of.
"I'm an open book, I'm not ashamed or embarrassed about any of it. This is something I had no control over," O'Connor said. "If sharing it encourages even one person to stop bottling something up, then I'm glad I could help."
