Oprah Finds Long Lost Sister
USA Today reports:
Oprah Winfrey has a half-sister named Patricia who was given up for adoption by Winfrey's mother, Vernita Lee, shortly after her birth in 1963.
That's the big secret.
"Patricia is my half-sister who I never knew existed," Oprah said on Monday's show.
USA TODAY's Judy Keen reports from Chicago that Patricia - whose last name was not revealed - was given up by Oprah's mom because wanted to get off welfare and knew that if she had another child, that might be impossible. Lee said she "wasn't able to take care of" her new daughter.
Patricia lived in foster homes until she was 7, including some that were "not so good," she said Monday. Patricia said she always hoped her birth mother would return for her.
By 17, Patricia was a single mother. She has two grown children, a daughter and son.
"Oh my God, I have a family" was her reaction when she found out she had three siblings, Patricia said. One of those siblings, the only one still alive, was Winfrey.
Just before Thanksgiving, Winfrey said, she was told "a bombshell family secret." The story would have become public and been "exploited" eventually, Winfrey said, "so I wanted you to hear it from me first."
