teens

At 17, Bryan realised his sister wasn't who he thought she was. His response is going viral.

Last week Bryan Lara discovered a family secret.

The 17-year-old from Houston, Texas, found out his sister Pamela was actually his half-sibling, and that he was part of a blended family.

Pamela, an 18-year-old dancer, had discovered that her siblings were in fact her half-siblings when she was just 11 years old. She was sworn to secrecy.

Immediately after uncovering this family secret, Bryan wrote a letter to his older sister.

“I just wanted to let you know how much I love you. I don’t care what people say, you are always going to be my sister — my full blooded sister. You are the best thing that happened to me, I love you with all my heart,” the letter began.

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“Thank you for helping me on my worst and thank you for leading me the right way,” adds Bryan, who is also a dancer. “I will always be there for you, just like you always been there for me. I love you.”

The letter was signed, “With love, your annoying brother”.

Accompanying the letter were a bunch of Pamela’s favourite snacks.

Pamela shared the letter on Twitter, it’s since gone viral.

“My little brother found out I’m not his [sic] fully sister and I came home to this… I’m crying,” she wrote.

Speaking to PEOPLE, Pamela explained why she kept the secret all these years.

“I had to keep it a secret from everyone just so it wouldn’t affect our family,” she explained. “And mostly because I was scared that I was going to be looked at differently by my siblings.”

“My older sister found out in the most unpleasant way, but it was a relief that she understood and agreed to keep it a secret,” she adds. “My brother ended up finding out sooner than expected from my sister through an argument.”

The letter has brought comfort to half-siblings around the world, with many sharing their own stories:

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