This Student Discovered His Birth Brother Was At His College, With The Same Major, The Entire Time

With one Facebook message, Kieron was introduced to a whole new branch of his family — one of whom likely walks past him every day on campus.

Kieron Christian Graham, 20, is a political science major at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. In 1997 he was adopted by his parents (right) when he was just 3 months old. His parents also adopted three other children, who were Graham's only siblings — until recently.

Kieron Christian Graham

Graham told BuzzFeed News his adoptive parents always tried to keep him and his other siblings informed about their birth families.

Growing up, he knew his birth mother and father's first names and that his birth mother had another child named "Vincent."

"I periodically would look for them and check on Facebook, but I never knew their last name so it was always hard," Graham said.

For Christmas this year, his parents gifted him and all of his siblings with their own Ancestry DNA kits.

On Tuesday, Graham received the results of the test in an email. He received about 100 loose matches to potential family members, and one strong match to a 29-year-old man named "Vincent Ghant" who had also taken an Ancestry DNA test.

Vincent Ghant / Facebook

He quickly found a Vincent Ghant on Facebook and realized the birthday listed on the page matched with a date on documents he and his adoptive parents had.

He friend-requested Ghant and sent him a message that day.

Ghant told BuzzFeed News he did not immediately recognize the name when he received the DM. (Graham's first name was changed shortly after he was adopted). But when Graham mentioned the name of their mom, Shawn, "my heart stopped," Ghant said.

Kieron Christian Graham

Ghant had actually spent time with Graham when he was a baby and remembers him vividly.

"I asked my mother about him throughout my life, but the pain was so heavy on her that it was hard for her to drum up the worlds to explain it to me...so it just got to the point where I was, like, I'll just wait for her when she's ready," he said.

The two quickly realized they were not only brothers by blood, but that they were both currently attending Kennesaw State, in their junior years of school, and pursuing political science. "And it turns out he lives 15 minutes away from me," Graham added.

Kieron Christian Graham

Ghant, who's nine years older, received his associate's degree from another college and took some time off before enrolling back in school at Kennesaw in the same year as Graham.

The two even have a class at the same time and suspect that they must have walked right past each other at one point — if not on many, many occasions.

"The little bit of time I had with him came racing back," Ghant said, as they were messaging each other.

The brothers finally met at a local bar this week. Graham recalled Ghant telling him, "I've been thinking about you for 20 years." Ghant told BuzzFeed News the entire meeting was "very emotional."

Kieron Christian Graham

"I was excited but a little bit scared if he had any resentment towards my family," Ghant said.

But Graham told BuzzFeed News he has no ill feelings toward their mother nor his entire birth family, and that he completely understands why his birth mother decided it was ultimately best for him to be placed for adoption.

(Both Graham and Ghant said that Shawn was a struggling single mother and full-time nurse working 15-plus hours a day at the time.)

"When I realized he didn't [have resentment] and that he had a great life, I was amazed," Ghant said.

Graham has been in contact with his birth mother, and they plan to formally meet this weekend. On top of everything else, he's also met Ghant's younger 17-year-old brother, Christian, which is Graham's middle name given by their birth mother (and coincidentally kept by Graham's adoptive parents this whole time).

Kieron Christian Graham

Ghant believes it must all be a stroke of fate that they were all able to meet each other in 2017. "My little brother didn't know we have another brother...he's excited as well."

For their mother, Ghant said it's been an "emotional roller coaster," to put it simply. "She's super excited, but half the time she's also sad [and] fearful. She wants him to understand why she had to do what she had to do. But overall she's very excited."

BuzzFeed News has reached out to their mom and will update the story if and/or when she wants to speak after the long-awaited meeting.

Graham's adoptive parents have been wholly supportive of his journey of discovery. They also plan to meet Graham's birth mother and that entire side of the family, he said.

Kieron Christian Graham

Graham said his parents have assured him that no matter what happens, they'll be standing alongside him, emotionally and literally, the entire time.

"They said, 'We want you to know them...if you don't want to, that's OK, too,'" he said.

Graham said he's also been very open with his friends and family about his adoption: "Both my parents are white and I'm black and mixed," he said. He'd only intended to update his friends on social media about everything that's unfolded, but his updates have gone viral and he's reached a whole new audience of people invested in, and inspired by, his journey.

ethel beavers @xkiwibird

@kc_graham @maveese I am in tears, I don't know you but this is such an amazing story. My mom was also adopted and… https://t.co/vduqVs5KlD

06:18 PM - 14 Dec 2017

Furthermore, Graham told BuzzFeed News he's now connected with his birth dad and his side of the family.

"My birth father broke down in tears," he said upon connecting with him.

The two of them plan to meet this weekend as well.

It's going to be a big weekend for Graham — to put it mildly.