Sister finds long-lost brother living across the street [Video]

Who’s the guy across the street? Turns out it was Candace Eloph’s brother, who had been given up for adoption 32 years ago.

Jamie Wheat was born at Barksdale Air Force Base’s hospital. His birth mother, Joellen Cottrell, eventually moved from Louisiana and had other children, but did not keep her son a secret.

“My girls always knew that they had a brother,” she said. “I’ve always looked for him.”

Eloph, who is one of those daughters, found her brother by chance.

She had moved into a Shreveport neighborhood, across the street from a couple who had a 32-year-old son. Eight months ago, that 32-year-old son, Jamie Wheat, moved back in with his parents.

He and Eloph became friends — and one day started talking about family.

“We were sitting one day and talking and she said, ‘I had a brother born Jan. 27, 1977, that was adopted,'” Wheat recalled. “I was like — I was adopted. My mom was 16 when she gave me up for adoption.”

Candace called her mother, who drove all night to meet Wheat.

They knew in their hearts he was the son Joellen Cottrell had been looking for, but they wanted confirmation. DNA testing did it.

Wheat was with his families when he opened the letter from the lab. His adoptive parents said they are thrilled about the new stage in their son’s life.

“It was just surprising that they lived across the street from us for two and a half years,” Ted Wheat said. “When they told us, we said this is the greatest news it could be.”

Source: Sis finds long-lost brother living across the street

Family finds the Easter Bunny’s nephew? [Video]

Doctor Carrie Sutor lives across the street from where the baby bunny debuted.

It was certainly the hours-old bunny’s misfortune to become separated from his mother who must have built her nest in the mulch pile, but the fact that Doctor Sutor is a veterinarian may have proven lucky for the little guy.

“He got into the right mulch delivery,” Dr. Sutor said.

Unfortunately, a second baby rabbit who rolled out of the mulch didn’t make it.

The Sutor children were thrilled with the unexpected arrival and have named the bunny Sweetie Pie, although Floppsie might be more appropriate.

“I thought it was the Easter Bunny’s nephew because it’s little,” Olivia Sutor said.

In 11 years of practice Dr. Sutor has never had a patient or pet this tiny. Giving Sweetie Pie some oxygen was a challenge. Instead of wearing a mask, the bunny sat inside the mask. He also got some fluids.

“He’s looking better than he did yesterday afternoon, so I think he’s going to do okay,” Dr. Sutor said.

In a couple of weeks, the Sutors will know if the bunny can be domesticated or must be set free. Of course, the children are hoping they can keep him.

Dr. Sutor will take Sweetie Pie home over the weekend so she can keep an eye on him, so the lucky bunny will spend Easter with his new, if not accidental, family.

Watch this story: Baby bunny surprise for doctor’s family

Hockey team for women over 30-years-old [Video]

This is a great story!

Step aside, guys. It’s the ladies’ turn to hit the ice.

The Triangle-based Carolina Black Widows is the only USA Hockey-affiliated team in North Carolina for women more than 30 years old.

“I started at (age) 44,” said hockey player Nancy Difede.

“We’re the old nags,” her teammate Sue Mitran chimed in.

The hockey players come from a variety of backgrounds: Mitran is a bookkeeper, Gloria Cabada-Leman is a lawyer, and Jaden Taylor is a research scientist with Wyeth Vaccines.

That diverse experience comes in handy for the team, hockey player Wendy Bard joked.

“When somebody’s injured on the ice, you make sure you put your doctor on the ice. You take your lawyer with you if you have a physiotherapist,” Bard said. “You’ve got to have somebody from every walk of life.”

The hockey moms and career-driven women said playing on the side is great fun.

“It’s a wonderful escape from reality. We have a lot of fun and get along really well,” Cabada-Leman said.

Some of the players are Canadians who relocated to the Triangle. Others are women who had never before touched a hockey stick in their lives.

“More women play because they see us out here,” Mitran said.

But for amateurs, the Black Widows have their fair share of talent: They went 13-2 in the 2009-2009 season. This weekend, they’re competing in a USA Hockey national tournament. On Friday, they won one game and lost one.

Team members, though, said that winning’s not their goal.

“We get out there and skate hard and have fun. That’s basically what it’s all about,” Mitran said.

Watch this story: Women’s ice hockey team hits the rink

One school, eight sets of twins [Video]

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have a twin? We get those answers and more from not one, not two, but eight sets of twins at St. Francis school.

“Huh? No I’m not a twin she’s my clone.,” the Laa sisters say. They are members the most exclusive club at school. From two years old to seventeen, enrolled here are 8 sets of twins.

The twins say their classmates all react the same way. “They are shocked because we look nothing alike,” the Damaschi brothers say.

All 8 sets are fraternal and not identical twins. “They don’t think that were twins usually when we tell them,” Taylor Damaschi says, “why am I bigger than him, I’m still younger.”

Conner and Taylor have some obvious differences but some of the twins look a lot alike. “I can’t tell them apart but they are fraternal,” Sister Joan of Arc Souza said.

She says a school discount for siblings could be the reason for the twin invasion here. “We always want to wear the same things so we’ll fight over clothes sometimes a lot most of the time,” Emma and Claire Laa said.

Read more and watch that story: One school, eight sets of twins