>> A TWIST OF FATE, A MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS LED THEM TO AN
UNEXPECTED FAMILY MEETING.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> I GREW UP AS AN ONLY CHILD.
I ALWAYS WANTED SIBLINGS.
>> Reporter: WALT GORDY’S
PARENTS DIVORCED WHEN HE WAS
YOUNG AND HE WAS RAISED BY HIS
MOTHER.
MOTHER. >> I HAD A NICE CHILDHOOD.
>> Reporter: FIVE YEARS AGO AT
32 YEARS OLD WALT FOUND A LUMP
ON HIS NECK.
DOCTORS DIAGNOSED HIM WITH
LYMPHOMA.
LYMPHOMA. >> IT WAS DEVASTATING.
I HAVE BEEN HEALTHY MY ENTIRE
LIFE, NEVER HAD HIGH BLOOD
PRESSURE, NO DIABETES.
>> Reporter: NINE MONTHS LATER
AFTER TREATMENT WALT WAS CANCER
FREE.
FREE. HE TOOK A 23ANDME TEST TO LEARN
MORE ABOUT HI MEDICAL HISTORY.
>> MY RESULTS CAME BACK AND I
HAD DNA RELATIVES.
I SEE MY MOM’S SIDE OF THE
FAMILY.
FAMILY. BUT ON MY OTHER SIDE OF THE
FAMILY I DON’T HAVE ANY CLOSE
RELATIVES.
RELATIVES. >> AN ONLY CHILD, SOUTHEAST SIDE
OF HOUSTON.
OF HOUSTON. I WOULD TEAR UP AND CRY
SOMETIMES.
SOMETIMES. ESPECIALLY I WENT TO CATHOLIC
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. WE WOULD HAVE FATHER-SON MASS.
EVERYBODY HAD THEIR DADS THERE
AND I DIDN’T.
>> Reporter: HE WAS RAISED BY
HIS MOTHER.
HIS MOTHER. HE WAS ALWAYS CURIOUS ABOUT HIS
FATHER.
FATHER. AFTER THE BIRTH OF HIS SON HE
TOOK A DNA TEST TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT HIS FAMILY AND THE RESULTS
SHOCKED HIM.
SHOCKED HIM. >> I SAW A PART THAT SAID DNA
RELATIVES.
RELATIVES. I CLICKED ON THAT.
IT POPPED UP AND SAID WALT
GORDON III.
GORDON III. I SAID, MOM I KNOW HIM.
>> Reporter: TURNS OUT MARK NOT
ONLY KNEW WALT FOR THE LAST 12
YEARS.
YEARS. THEY WERE HALF-BROTHERS.
>> SO I CALLED HIM.
>> I PICKED UP THE PHONE.
WHAT’S IP?
WHAT’S IP? HE IS LIKE, WHAT’S GOING ON?
NOTHING TOO MUCH.
>> I WANT ON 23ANDME.
IN SHORT, IT SAYS YOU’RE MY
BROTHER.
BROTHER. >> I SAID, NO.
I SAID, I BEEN KNOWING YOU 12
YEARS.
YEARS. ARE YOU TELLING ME WE’RE
BROTHERS?
BROTHERS? >> WHO DO YOU THINK RUNS FASTER
NOW?
NOW? >> YOU.
>> YOU. >> 35 YEARS LATER I FOUND OUT I
HAD A BROTHER.
THAT’S PRETTY AMAZING TO ME.
>> IN THE END THE PAIN, THE HURT
I BENTWENT THROUGH WAS WORTH IT
KNOWING THAT I HAVE A BLESSING
AT THE END.
>> I CAN’T BELIEVE IT.
AND WE ARE JOINED BY MARK TOLSON
SENIOR AND WALTER GORDY III WITH
THEIR MOTHERS WINNIE AND BOOKER.
WELCOME TO ALL OF YOU.
OUR MINDS ARE BLOWN.
>> I KNOW.
>> I’M SURE YOURS ARE, TOO?
>> I AM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHERE TO START HERE.
SO YOU THOUGHT HE WAS INVITING
YOU TO A PARTY WHEN HE CALLED?
>> I DID.
>> I DID. SO HE CALLED ME AND I SAW HIS
NAME POP UP ON MY CELL PHONE.
HE CALLS.
HE CALLS. HE IS LIKE, HEY, HOW ARE YOU
DOING?
DOING? FINE.
FINE. HOW ARE YOU?
GOOD.
GOOD. OKAY.
OKAY. WHAT’S UP?
WHAT’S UP? HE IS LIKE, YEAH, HAVE YOU EVER
HEARD OF THIS 23ANDME?
I SAID, YEAH, I HEARD ABOUT IT.
I AM ON THERE, MY COUSIN’S ON
THERE, MY MOTHER’S THERE.
I AM 82% WEST AFRICAN, 23%
EUROPEAN.
EUROPEAN. HE SAID, I DID IT ABOUT SIX
WEEKS AGO AND MY RESULTS CAME
BACK TODAY.
BACK TODAY. I SAID, COOL, WHAT DID YOU FIND
OUT?
OUT? I LOOKED AT MY DNA RELATIVES AND
YOU ARE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST.
WALTER GORDY, HALF-BROTHER.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> WHAT?
>> WHAT? >> I KNOW.
THAT’S WHAT WE’RE ALL THINKING.
SO, MOMS, THERE WAS A DONOR, AN
ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION, BUT THE
SAME DONOR.
SAME DONOR. YOU BOTH JUST HAPPENED TO PICK
THE SAME DONOR?
>> YES.
>> YES. >> I MEAN, THAT’S PRETTY WILD
BECAUSE ON TOP OF ALL OF THIS,
YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER?
>> YES.
>> YES. >> YES.
>> YES. WE ACTUALLY SING IN THE SAME
CHURCH CHOIR.
CHURCH CHOIR. >> STOP IT.
THIS IS LIKE A MOVIE.
>> SINGING IN THE CHOIR TOGETHER
ALMOST NEXT TO EACH OTHER FOR,
GOSH, 13 YEARS.
>> AND HAVE --
>> NO IDEA?
>> ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA.
>> DID YOU THINK THEY LOOKED
ALIKE?
ALIKE? >> NO, WE NEVER SAW THEM REALLY
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. >> HOW DID THEY TELL YOU GUYS
THEN?
THEN? MINE, BECAUSE THIS IS A -- I
MEAN, THIS IS A LOT.
THE SHORT VERSION OF THE STORY.
>> I WAS AT THE HOUSE.
MY MOM HAD COME TO THE HOUSE.
SHE WAS ON THE WHICHAY TO CHOIR
PRACTICE.
PRACTICE. I SAID, HEY MOM, THE RESULTS
CAME IN.
CAME IN. WANT TO CHECK THEM OUT.
I WAS LIKE, MOM, I KNOW HIM.
LAKE IT SAYS HE IS MY
HALF-BROTHER.
HALF-BROTHER. THIS IS CRAZY.
>> I SAID, GO ON, BOY.
>> I CAN ONLY IMAGINE AS A
MOTHER YOU WANT YOUR SONS TO BE
ABLE TO HAVE SOMEBODY TO LEAN
ON.
ON. TALK TO ME ABOUT THAT PART OF
IT, THE HEART OF ALL OF THIS,
BECAUSE WE ARE LAUGHING BUT
ULTIMATELY THEY HAVE EACH OTHER
NOW?
NOW? >> YES, AND THAT IS VERY
CONSOLING BECAUSE INITIALLY WHEN
I FIRST FOUND OUT, WALTER PHONED
ME AT WORK, AND I WAS STUNNED.
BUT THEN I WAS VERY GRATEFUL
BECAUSE WE HAVE ALWAYS PRAYED HE
WOULD FIND THAT FRATERNAL PART
OF HIM.
OF HIM. AND WE LOOKED AT IT TRULY AS A
BLESSING FROM GOD BECAUSE OUR
PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED.
AND NOW TO HAVE MARK ANDIN HIS L
AND M.J., IT’S INCREDIBLE.
AND IT’S JUST A BEAUTIFUL JOY TO
BOTH OF THEM THAT THEY HAVE ONE
ANOTHER THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
>> SO YOU GUYS LIKE EACH OTHER?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> THAT’S FANTASTIC.
YOU ARE MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME.
>> YEP.
>> YEP. >> HOW DO YOU DO THAT?
>> IT’S CRAZY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE GROW UP AS
SIBLINGS AND HAVE THE FIGHTS AND
ALL THOSE THINGS.
WE NEVER WENT THROUGH THAT.
>> I HAVE SOMETHING IN RED THAT
SAYS SLEEP OVER.
>> NOT AT MY HOUSE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> WELL, I RENT MY HOUSE AOUT TO
AIRBNB SOMETIMES.
AIRBNB SOMETIMES. IT’S LIKE, COME BY, LET’S HANG
OUT.
OUT. >> HOW IS YOUR HEALTH?
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> GREAT.
>> GREAT. CANCER WAS THE BEST THING THAT
HAPPENED TO ME BECAUSE I FOUND A
BLESSING ON THE END.
MY TESTIMONY, I WILL CONTINUE TO
SHARE IT THE REST OF MY LIFE.
I FEEL LIKE ANYBODY THAT HAS
CANCER, YOU CAN LOOK UP AND SEE
SOMETHING BETTER AT THE END.
>> MOM, I’LL LEAVE YOU WITH THE
LAST WORD.
LAST WORD. WE HAVE THE TISSUES CLOSE BY.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT IT THAT BRINGS
TEARS TO YOUR EYES, THIS WHOLE
THING?
THING? FINDING OUT THE NEWS THAT YOUR
SON WAS ILL?
FINDING OUT THE NEWS HE HAD A
BROTHER?
BROTHER? WHAT ABOUT ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN
THE MOST EMOTIONAL FOR YOU?
>> IT’S A COMBINATION OF A FEW
THINGS.
THINGS. AND TO JUST SOLVE IT ALL, IN MY
OPINION, IS DIVINE INTERVENTION
FROM GOD.
FROM GOD. AND WITH WALTER HAVING THE
EXTRACTION, THAT WAS A REASON WE
WENT ON 23ANDME TO SEE IF WE
COULD PERHAPS FIND A POSSIBLE
DONOR IF IT ACTUALLY CAME TO
THAT.
THAT. SO HAVING THE TOOLS FOR HIM TO
NOW MOVE ON, HE IS CANCER FREE.
WE HAVE ONE MORE CRITICAL YEAR
OF SURVIVAL LEFT.
AND I JUST FEEL IT’S JUST A
BLEGS AND FAITH BROUGHT US THIS
FAR AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE
US ON ALL THE WAY.
>> IT’S A VERY WONDERFUL FEELING
TO KNOW THAT HE HAS FOUND
SOMEONE THAT HE CAN LEAN ON, WHO
IS OF HIS OWN BLOOD.
HE KNOWS ALL OF MY FAMILY, BUT
HE DIDN’T KNOW ANYONE IN HIS
FATHER’S FAMILY.
FATHER’S FAMILY. BUT I’M SO HAPPY.
>> GOD BLESS YOU GUYS.