Wisconsin Woman Spends 7 Years to Look for Her Biological Sister, Finds Out She Lives Next Door
Hillary Harris spent seven years looking for her long-lost biological sister, only to discover her living right next door.
Harris, who was adopted as an infant, has been searching for her birth family since she became pregnant with her now 7-year-old daughter Stella. She found out from the adoption agency that her biological dad named Wayne Clouse passed away in 2002.
When studying her father's file, she discovered his obituary that mentioned the name of his daughters Dawn Johnson and Renee Diericks.
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The 31-year-old woman from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, tried to look for the women on Facebook. Yet she was unsuccessful in finding them through the social networking site.
But fate seemed to be on her side when a woman named Dawn and her partner named Kurt Casperson moved in literally next door to their house.
Harris learned that neighbor Dawn came from Greenwood, Wis., the same location where her sister Dawn lived based on the information that she gathered from the adoption file. She immediately told her husband, Lance, who was helping her in her search for her biological sister.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Harris said that both she and her husband toyed with the idea that her long-lost sister could be the one who moved in next to their house. But they both dismissed the thought immediately.
Harris also mentioned that she could not get her neighbor out of her head, but she did not know her last name. "I was always looking at her, thinking, 'Could it be her?'" Harris stated. "I never had the courage to ask. I didn't want to be nosy and pry into her life," she added.
Both pairs shared "hellos" every time they bump into each other because they share the same driveway, but they never got to talk to each other. Although, when their neighbor received a delivery of shingles that they will use for their roof, it was addressed to a person named Dawn Johnson. This made her realize that her search for her sister might be over.
It took her a while before she mustered the courage to ask her neighbor about their possible connection. When she did, Johnson confirmed that she was really the person that she was looking for.
"For me, this is 100 percent fate. I was so sad when I discovered my biological father had passed away. But by meeting Dawn, I feel like I have all the answers I will ever need," Harris told New York Post.
Aside from meeting Johnson, Harris also shared with ABC News that she also met her other half-sister Diericks.
