GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It was the birthday surprise of a lifetime for a 10-year-old girl from Grand Rapids on Saturday.
Chante Garcia was adopted as a baby and has only met two of her seven siblings once before. For her 11th birthday, she had only one birthday wish: to meet her sisters.
The bond between sisters is something that can never be replaced. For Chante Garcia, that bond is still just as strong even though she has no memories with her sisters.
That changed on Saturday.
Meet 10-year-old Chante Garcia: a bright, bubbly young girl and a big fan of Pokemon.
"I really like Squirtle and Pikatchu," Garcia said.
Chante was adopted as a baby by an elderly couple from Grand Rapids. When the couple started having health problems, Hollie Dennis and her husband, who were living next door, stepped in to help. They adopted the girl a year and a half ago.
"It's been the hardest year-and-a-half I think, but it's also been the most amazing," said Hollie Dennis, Chante's adoptive mother.
Chante and Hollie are both big Pokemon fans and have matching Pokemon necklaces that say 'I choose you'.
"Most kids are born to a mother and they don't get to choose," Dennis said. "We got to choose each other and we have our little Pokemon necklaces that say 'I choose you'."
On Saturday, Chante celebrated her 11th birthday a few days early. The presents were piling up, but what Chante wanted most couldn't fit into a box.
"I hope that we find them and can have contact with them," Garcia said.
Chante has only met two of her seven siblings once before. She hoped she can meet them again.
"It would be cool because I don't know that much about them and it would be interesting to see who they are," Garcia said.
Luckily, Chante has a strong support system including her two best friends, Mya and Gabbi. They want her to find her sisters just as much.
"I was born with my mother and she wasn't," said Mya Gray, Chante's best friend. "She didn't have a mother to look up to. She was just born and I don't think that's right. I hope that she does find her sisters."
While speaking with FOX17, Chante didn't know one of her sisters, Latoya, was on her way. LaToya and two of her children showed up at the party to surprise Chante in an emotional reunion.
"I feel like we have a chapter back," Latoya said. "Just because it's been over four year
s since we've last seen each other. I can't explain it."
Chante also got to video chat with her other sister, Anita, who lives in Florida. She's planning a trip to Grand Rapids so the three sisters can get back together.
But the search doesn't end here. The girls have four brothers they've never met and they're searching for them as well.
"It's so we can be like family," Latoya said.
Chante and Latoya were both born in Grand Rapids, so there's a change their siblings could still be in the area. They're looking into hiring a private investigator to help them get their whole family back together.
