Man discovers his childhood best friend is actually his brother 60 years later after DNA test

Man discovers his childhood best friend is actually his brother 60 years later after DNA test Graham Hearsey always suspected his dad Joe wasn't his biological father, and he’d heard rumours he shared a dad with close friend David Joyce - but it wasn't until 60 years later he learned the truth A man was taken aback after discovering his childhood best pal is actually his brother after 60 years. Graham Hearsey, 60, grew up suspecting his dad Joe wasn't his biological father because of his ginger hair. And he’d heard rumours during his childhood that he shared a dad with close friend David Joyce. Family members had always dismissed the idea, but during a spell in hospital earlier this year, Graham decided to order a DNA test. While lying in a hospital bed with heart failure, Graham ordered the test and managed to track down David on Indeed, asking if he also wanted to order a test. After tracking David, now 59, who also did a swab, the pair received a positive result a few weeks later. The pair had lost contact around 40 years ago, but now they have reunited as brothers. Recalling the moment he found out, Graham said: "I really wanted to know the truth as I didn't know if I was going to be coming out again. I was in the hospital with heart failure. I wanted to put that all to rest. "David phoned me and said 'hello brother'. It was a shock. I can't say I wanted Joe to be my dad. Joe always said, 'I don't want that David in here'. Maybe he did have a suspicion, as I was always allowed at David's, but he wasn't allowed at ours." Graham explained that there was suspicion around who his dad was growing up due to his ginger hair, but says his mum was able to explain it away. Graham said: "There was always a slight suspicion, but my mum reassured my dad that I was his. "When I was born, I had this ginger hair. My mum said that there's a ginger child in every family. My mum's sister had a girl who was ginger, and he other sister had a boy who had ginger hair. She convinced him, and apparently, there was a letter she wrote to say that I was actually his." Growing up, Graham's mum was in and out of psychiatric wards, so he and his four sisters were often looked after by their dad or family friends. It meant Graham and David, who lived just a few streets away, spent a lot of time together and were akin to brothers. In fact, within the first few months of Graham's life his mum returned to a psychiatric facility and his dad didn't believe he was his son, so David's family took care of him. Graham said: "For the first few months of my life, my mum was sectioned. She went straight back to the hospital. My dad went up to their house and dropped me off on the doorstep. He said that I'm not his, so they brought me up for the first six months to a year." Then just three months after Graham was born, the Joyce family welcomed David. Graham said: "I was born in May '66 and David was born in August '66. We both shared a cot!" Eventually, Graham returned to his parents' care, but says his childhood was difficult. He said: "I've got no recollection of being brought up by my dad. There was no love between us, I was free to do whatever I wanted. If I weren't home by 11pm, the door was locked. Sometimes I had to sleep out." The pair spent a lot of time together having fun, with Graham saying: "David and I had a brilliant time. He lived on the next street. We both had ginger hair at the time. We were always in and out of trouble together. Eventually, we went our separate ways - David joined the army, and I got married." The pair lost touch aged 18 in 1984 when David joined the Army and Graham got married. Joe, who was believed to be Graham's father initially, died in 2009 from lung cancer, with David's dad, and Graham's biological father, dying in 2000. Graham says he got to meet him only once, as a child. "I only saw my real dad once. David and I were about 10. We were going to the cinema in West Gate, and that was the only time I saw him," he said. It was during a recent hospital stay for heart failure that Graham's curiousity finally got the better of him. He said: "When you're stuck in a hospital, you get curious. I found David on Indeed. I contacted him and said 'why don't we do this DNA test and see for real?' He did the test, and his results came back." After waiting for 58 years, Graham finally had an answer. He said receiving the news made him feel “like a new man" and that is has changed his life completely, with the Joyce family accepting him as one of their own. He added: "Having David, it's amazing. It's the best feeling - we cuddled and cried. It's been accepted by both families. It's been really nice. I contacted my sisters and said, 'Dad's not my dad. David's dad is my dad'. They were so understanding. We made a WhatsApp group and we keep in touch. Every day we WhatsApp saying 'morning'." Since finding his new family, Graham says he "feels like a new man" - emotioanlly and physically after a successful heart ablation. David added: "We grew up together, schooling and everything. We had similarities between us, looks and the same coloured hair. But we also had this bond. The DNA test was just confirmation really." "I need to chase him up for backdated Christmas and birthday presents!" he joked.