Imagine, as an adopted child, receiving a DNA kit as an early Christmas present from your adopted mother hoping to find out something – anything – about your past and then days later being reunited with your long-lost sibling after 20 years.
If that wasn't incredible enough, try conceiving what it would be like learning that your sibling not only lived 15 minutes away, but also attended the same school and shared the same major – and minor!
That's exactly what happened to Keiron Graham, 20, when he met his long-lost 29-year-old brother Vincent Ghant 10 days ago.
So, just to recap, Graham and Ghant have the following in common:
- Both attend Kennesaw State University
- Both are majoring in political science
- Both are minoring in legal studies
But their story, which they detailed in depth on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday, gets even better – and more improbable.
When Graham and Ghant met for the first time, they quickly discovered they both share an incredible passion for the Atlanta Falcons.
"The first day we met, I think he had a Falcons shirt on," Graham said. "So I was like, 'You know I'm a huge Falcons fan.' And he was like, 'Oh, me too!' We just started talking about the Falcons, how the games have gone this season."
Graham didn't think it was possible to meet a bigger Falcons fan. He said he's been a die-hard Falcons fan for as long as he can remember, which was was an easy thing to do growing up in Flowery Branch, the home of the team's headquarters and training camp.
"I grew really close to the Falcons," Graham said. "I went to all of their practices, so I've just been pretty much a die-hard fan most of my life. I've been to a few games."
Ghant, who lives about 15-20 minutes down the road in Marietta, says he's been a Falcons fan from the first moment he could "understand the game."
"When I first figured out (Kieron) was a Falcons fan, that was like music to my ears," Ghant said, laughing. "When we first met, it was amazing. A lot of emotions, of course, were going through my head. But mostly, overall, I was just excited to meet him again after two decades."
Their story, which has gained international notoriety, also caught the attention of Falcons team president Rich McKay.
"What struck me was the idea of brotherhood and that these guys are the definition of it because they have a bond that goes back that they didn't even know they had," McKay said. "And then to find it, and to share the commonalities that they did, whether they went to the same school, they majored in the same subject, they minored in the same subject and they are both committed Falcons fans – I thought that was really cool.
"It shows you the bond that's sometimes created by team sports and that's really cool. It's special. It's incredible that they had this bond and didn't know it because they didn't know each other."
Graham and Ghant quickly made plans to watch the Falcons game against the Buccaneers on Monday night at Ghant's house. Ghant, it turns out, has an entire room dedicated to the Falcons and calls it his "Falcons Cave."
"We watched it in there," Ghant said. "I'm actually in the process of getting a Falcons Cave sign made for it. I've got red couches in there, a lot of Falcons memorabilia, I've got a photo of Warrick Dunn hanging up, I've got a custom-made jersey with my name on the back. I'm in the process of getting that hung up as well and in a frame. Just a whole bunch of Falcons stuff on the walls."
Graham's reaction?
"I was like, 'Oh my goodness.' It was like my dream man cave," he said.
Graham has since met their mother, Shawn Ghant, and his other paternal brother, Christian, 17, who is still in school. "My little brother said he broke down crying when everything matched out," he said. Ghant was just 9 years old when Graham was born. Graham was just 3 months old when he was put up for adoption.
Both Ghant and Graham said they were pleased at where the Falcons are at heading into their final two games of the season. "I think we should probably be 11-3, but I'll take it," Graham said. "We're in a good position to make the playoffs."
But first up is New Orleans on Sunday. Not surprisingly, both Graham and Ghant consider the Falcons-Saints rivalry one of the best in football. The following week, the Falcons will wrap up their season with a home game against the Panthers. And both brothers will be attending the game together, courtesy of the Falcons.
"I thought that would give us the opportunity to invite them, and let them share together their fandom," McKay said. "So that was I why I wanted to reach out to them and get them to a game."
Ghant, who used to work at Falcons games from 2010 to 2011 when they played in the Georgia Dome, says he was elated to receive the invitation and watch the game in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
"I'm super excited," Ghant said. "I can't wait."
