Philadelphia, PA — 31-year old Ashley Thomas and 29-year old Latoya Wimberly from Philadelphia have been best friends for 17 years. They had a lot in common, but were completely surprised when they recently learned that they are fleshly sisters.
They also shared the same taste in things such as fashion and music. The two had an “unbreakable bond” that they even dated brothers at one point.
Thomas and Wimberly first met at a birthday party in Philadelphia in 2004. Since then, they immediately clicked and have not let a day pass by without talking to each other at least on the phone.
They loved each other as sisters, not knowing they are actually biological sisters.
Last January, they started having speculations when Thomas posted on Facebook the pictures of Wimberly’s engagement party which included her father, Kenneth Wimberly. A friend of Ashley’s mother who knew Kenneth saw the pictures.
“Ashley’s mom’s best friend told her she had no idea my dad was Kenny,” Wimberly told CNN. “She said she and Ashley’s mom used to hang around him back when they were young. When Ashley told me, I knew something didn’t click. So I asked her to send me a picture of her mom’s best friend and showed it to my dad and asked him if he recognized her.”
Kenneth Wimberly, who is 48-years old, said he recognized Thomas’ mother and confirmed that they had a short fling but she did not tell him she was pregnant at that time.
Thomas was raised by her mother and a man whom she thought was her biological father until she was 15-years old. She did not try to search for her biological father and was left with more unanswered questions when her mother died 11 years ago.
To find the answer, the three decided to split the cost of a DNA test, which confirmed that Kenneth was Thomas’ father.
The three have always been close and treated each other as family. Now that they learned that they’re really biologically-related, they are still adjusting.
“It’s just a weird feeling,” said Thomas, who has two children. “It’s definitely going to take some time. I’m still in disbelief. But I want him to be a part of his grandchildren’s lives.”
“I watched Ashley go through so many things growing up and now all I can think about is that her father was here and he could have been there for her just like he was for me,” said Wimberly. “So that’s very emotional.”