I Grew Up In Foster Care But Are You My Sister? | KARAMO

So please tell me, how did you find out you had a sister?

So my mom had lost her rights when I was 2 years old.

Okay.

And I was, I've been in the foster care system since I was 2. At 10 years old, I reconnected with my mother and she had told me that I had a sister. But at 10, like I was young, so I didn't really like—

Yeah, of course, you couldn't process that, yeah.

Yeah, I was like, okay, I was excited, but I didn't really ask, go into details like who's the dad. So then at 20, I had asked her who was my dad. She told me his name. She gave me his number. I called him. We talked. He was excited. He was like, "Yes, you have a sister." And he told me her name. And then I had called her on the phone, talked to her, and then I had added her on Facebook.

What a journey for a 12-year-old.

Yeah.

To like find that information out and then have to do that work to connect yourself. But I wanna go back a little bit. What was it like talking to Larisha for the first time on that phone call?

It was exciting.

Yeah.

I really wasn't nervous 'cause I had always wanted a sister. So I was definitely excited. She was excited. She started telling me like she had knew about me and that she, her mother had held me when I was a baby.

Oh wow.

So yeah, they knew about me.

There's a little tremble in your voice. Are you nervous?

Heck yes. That was a big moment for you.

Yes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So how much older is Larisha than you?

10 years, I believe.

10 years. Okay, wow. Okay. And so what was it like in your childhood? I know you said that you were in foster care. Were, did you, at 10 years old, did you then move back with your mother and move in with her or what was life like?

No, so I came into foster care with my 2 older brothers. They always had their dads, they knew their dads. But then at 9 years old, I was blessed with a wonderful foster mom.

Yeah. Here you go, love. There you go.

Who raised me from 9 all the way up until I'm 18.

Yeah.

And she's still raising me now, so. I have a 2-year-old son and she's She loves him to death. They're like best friends. So she's his grandma.

Yeah. Okay. I'm glad that you had that support and that you had that. But I know there's, you know, working with kids in the foster care system, there's nothing like you said of knowing biological family sometimes, knowing that information. And so if you and Larisha are sisters because you share the same father. Got it. So, and not the same mom. Yeah. Okay. So we have some of your Facebook messages that you all used to send to each other. You're my baby sister and you make me so mad. You remind me so much of me when I was your age and you have so much going on for yourself. You make me so proud. I wanna save you from everything, but I know I can't. And you're so intelligent and you don't even need me to. I love you, chocolate. Oh, I love you more, sisters. All right. So from the beginning, It's just been love between you two.

Yeah.

So when did you start to question that you and Larisha had the same dad?

So like at age 14, my mom was on the phone with me and then she was like, "Hey, talk to your dad." He gets on the phone, he's like, "Hi Victoria." And I'm like, "Hi." And then she gets back on the phone and she's like, and I ask her, I'm like, "I thought you said such and such was my dad." And she was like, and then she was like, "You have a lot of dads." And well—

Have you ever met Larisha in person?

Yes, so I met her back in September 2021.

Aw.

And why haven't you got a DNA test before this?

Okay, so I was gonna get a DNA test with the guy, with Larisha's dad, but I didn't wanna tell her because if the results came back negative, I didn't wanna mess up our bond.

And so why is it important for you to get these results?

Because I wanna know where I come from. I have a 2-year-old son and I want him to know where he comes from and to know that he does have family on my side.

You two have only met once before today.

Mm-hmm.

So everyone please welcome Larisha to the show. Excuse me. Please welcome her. Hi Larisha, how are you doing? Thank you for being here. How's it feel to see each other?

Oh my God. I'm excited. It's been a long time coming. I've been, like she said, I've been looking for a sibling for a long time too. We were talking, well, I was talking to your producers yesterday and they was asking like, I've never been jealous of anything from anybody but a sibling. It's nothing like sibling love.

And how did you first hear about your potential your sister or your sister?

My dad, we were on a bus and we were coming, I was coming home and he showed me, he just whipped out this picture and he showed me, he was like, well, this is your sister.

And I'm like, oh yeah, Richard.

'Cause she looked so much like him when she was smaller. Like she was a, it was a grade school picture. It was a picture I made, she was probably in like 6th grade and she looked so much like him then. Rushed home and I told my mom like, "Mom, he got another daughter." She was like, "Well, I won't put it past him." It took us a minute to connect. We didn't, after he showed me that picture, I didn't see her anymore until he came to live with me after my mom passed.

[Speaker] Got it, okay.

[Speaker] And that was about 2015. And he was like, "I got your sister on the line." He put me on the phone with her and we exchanged Facebooks and it's just been a bond ever since.

And we have the post you put on Facebook at that time.

Yes.

That I wanna see. Just found I got a little 12-year-old sister.

Wow.

Oh wow. I just love your excitement from the beginning. What was it like meeting Victoria for the first time in 2021?

Oh my God. When I first met Victoria, it was, my sister was mean. I'm not even gonna lie, y'all. When I first met her, she was so— I'm not that mean. Yes, she was. Yes, she was. Like, she was so mean. And I'm like, under the circumstances, we met when her mom passed.

Got it.

And so it was heavy. The situation was heavy. And that another reason why I just told her like, no, stay with me. I done been through that. My mom passed in 2014.

Yeah.

So I know the loss of a mom, even through the circumstances of her not having her mom right with her, I know what it's like. So I told her, no, y'all stay with me. And it was good.

Have you ever met your potential father before, Victoria?

Yes.

At that time?

That time, yeah.

Okay then. And that was the only time?

Yes.

Okay then. In person. And did y'all get to talk that much during that time?

No, he was trying to give me my space. Space, you know, during that time.

Do you still talk to him?

Oh yes, I do.

You do? How often do you talk?

Well, he just had a really— he's in a really bad accident and so he hasn't been able to really talk much.

Oh, got it. Okay.

But before that, he was called at all times and just check in on me and my son.

Got it. Okay then. Yeah. Hearing that, I'm sorry about what's going on with your father, with your potential father.

Thank you.

So this is even more important of this relationship and being confirmed. Larisha, are there any doubts in your mind that this is your sister?

I never had any doubts in my mind that Victoria was my sister because like I said, from the beginning, I just took on to her. But what I am, I am a little reserved with her. I don't put myself as much sisterly as I can be. I can be, I hold back from her a little bit because I don't know.

Listen, we got a ping right now and it's from Victoria's cousin, Malia. Okay, let's see.

Okay, so me and Victoria are basically cousins through our moms. I was with Victoria when she met Larissa for the first time and I just noticed that they were really different. They weren't sisterly-like because they don't really know each other. It was a bit awkward, but I know as the years went on, they have grew to be more comfortable with each other. My family has always had doubt about Larissa's dad being Victoria's dad because Victoria's mom was messing around with two men at the same time, and she was pretty wild back then. So she just chose Larissa's dad as the father because he was the safest option. I am hoping that Victoria and Larissa are actually sisters because her brothers are incarcerated and Nerissa would be her only bio-sibling she would be able to lean on.

[Speaker:KARAMO] Did you know that this information that she's been told that there could be another man?

[Speaker] Yeah, so Victoria told me a few years ago. I was at work and she told me like it was a guy from the neighborhood that could be another potential father for her. And I'm like, I did, like she said, I did get quiet and I did, When I took in that information, when she said the name, I instantly like, well, I had an eye roll in my head, like, 'cause he does not have a good history with my family. So like I said, our neighborhood is pretty close-knit. Everybody knows everybody almost. And they all pretty much the ones that grew up in that neighborhood, they still reside there. And so I'm like, no, it can't be him. No, like, no, please not him.

Well, you know, this is one of Victoria's fears of if your father is not her father, she's scared that if this other man is her father, that it will cause a rift between your relationship. What do you have to say about that?

A few years ago, I was in that space that if he was her dad, that we wouldn't be able to have a relationship. Oh, wow. But we've done come so far and we done had so much come up since then that if, If he is her dad, then it is what it is, but she'll still be my sister.

Okay, got it. So you still want a relationship if she's not your sister?

Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. I also do want one too.

You want one as well?

Yeah.

Okay then. Well, I think it's time to get this DNA truth. Y'all been waiting for it your entire life. Are y'all both feeling nervous right now?

I've been nervous since she done told me she done called y'all.

Well listen, in this envelope is the DNA truth. It's the question you all have been asking yourselves for many years. Are you two sisters? Do you share the same father? This is not my truth to open, this is yours. So here you go. What do you think? What are you feeling?

Ooh, I think my heart finna jump out. I'm nervous and I'm trying not to cry.

It's okay. It's okay. It's okay, baby. You okay.

You okay.

You got it. You got it.

We got it. We okay. I want it to come out that she is my sister.

It's okay, babe.

Look. Because I wanna stop having to find, to keep searching. I don't wanna keep searching.

But I will keep searching until I find out my identity and who I come from.

Yeah.

OK, I'm hoping it says sisters and that's not an embrace of like, we're not. Is that a happy embrace?

Yeah.

OK, that's your sister? OK, good.

Oh.

I wasn't sure at first. I was like, I don't know if this was like an embrace like I can't have this shoe.

She's my sister.

Here you go, love. Here you go.

Thank you.

Oh my God, we're all excited for you.

We are.

So the search is over.

It's over.

The search is over. You know this is your sister. You know who your father is. How does this feel?

It feels great. I wish I was the big sister because I always wanted the little sister, but I'll take the little sister.

I guess.

OK.

I'm excited, I'm excited, I'm excited.

I have an older sister.

I'm excited.

And how do you feel?

I'm relieved. Like I said, I didn't have a doubt about Victoria being my sister when I seen that picture of her when my dad showed me on the bus. She looked so much like him when she was smaller.

Y'all got tears in my eyes.

Look.

All right, all right, girl, look.

Don't be crying, Karamo.

I know, right?

Y'all be tearing up.

Don't be crying. But I'm so relieved. I needed this because like I said, I went through my whole entire— I'm 31 years old, y'all. I went through my whole life with no sibling, you know? And it's like I said, there's nothing like that sibling love. I lost my mom and didn't have— I lost my mom and I didn't have her yet. And then a year later she came into my life and we've been consistent ever since.

Amazing, amazing. And I know especially with, like we talked about before, with what's going on with your father, this is even more important.

And this is even more. And I called, I talked to him a few days ago I told him, I'm like, well, your daughter done called the show and we about to go on here and find out if we really sisters. And he like, oh, okay, okay. So I know when I get to talk to him sometime this evening, he's gonna be relieved. Yes. That he know he got another daughter.

And you all live far apart, right?

Yeah.

How far do y'all live?

I live in Oklahoma.

And I'm in Chicago.

Oh, so it's hard for y'all to see each other. That's why y'all haven't seen each other since the funeral.

That's why we haven't had DNA test, that's why we haven't because of the distance.

Well, listen, you spent all these years apart and now it's time for you to be together as sisters.

Yes.

So I wanna give you both money to travel and see each other.

Oh, thank you.

Because I want you all to continue this journey. Yeah.

Thank you.

Time for y'all to start getting to each other, right?

Yes, it is.

Yeah, we can't stop this right now. There's too much love right here.

Yeah, so much.

You're so welcome, listen.

Thank you.

Thank you. I'm just so happy for y'all and I'm gonna be checking up on y'all because I love this sister dynamic, okay? Thank you.

I need it.

I'm so glad because I think you both need each other. Yes. You needed this closure so y'all can start this new journey and I'm very happy for y'all. Thank you. Congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you, Karamo. Everyone at home, thank you for being with us. Make sure to come back next time, friends, so we can keep talking and keep growing. I love you all.