Feature Story 2: Separated Brothers Name:

The once chattering crowd surrounding the track field now took on a hushed tone, an
eerie silence looming in the air. Leaguetown Senior Daniel Karast kneels against the starting
block in front of him, eyes transfixed on the ground before him, attempting to steady his nerves.

Deep breaths.

For a split second, Karast glances to his left, and the hairs on the back of his neck stand
up. It was as if he was looking directly into a mirror; one of his opponents looked, if not, identical
to himself. Before Karast could gather himself, the pistol fired and he was off to a rough start,
trailing behind his lookalike. Karast’s mind rushed into a frenzy with confused thoughts, and he
wondered if this could even be possible.

Once the race had concluded and he placed second, Karast jogged over to the guy who
beat him, his “doppelgänger.” Karast introduced himself, thoroughly bewildered as he stared
into eyes identical to his. The same build, face, and hair.

When his opponent introduced himself as Southside junior Donald Stephens, and
claimed to be his long-lost brother, Karast was shocked. He was always certain he was an only
child, until now.

After this strange encounter, both Karast and Stephens decided to consult a doctor
regarding their possible relatality. It was confirmed by health officials.

They were brothers.

Karast’s biological parents died in a car accident when he was just thirteen months old.
He was then adopted by Bill and Jana Karast. Neither of Karast’s parents had living relatives
able to take him in, and there were no documented siblings either from child services' files when
he was adopted.

“My parents had no idea I had a brother,” Karast said. “Meeting Donald was kind of
surreal. Winning second was great, but finding Donald was incredible. It was the best day of my
life.”

Karast and Stephens’s birth mother was pregnant with Stephens at the time of the fatal
accident. By the time child services and health officials realized the mistake they made, Karast
was already adopted by his adoptive parents. It was too late.

“The doctors performed a C-section to save the baby, and the mother died a few hours
later,” Karast’s adoptive mother Jana Karast said. “If we had known, we would have adopted
both babies.”
Feature Story 2: Separated Brothers Name:

Since the discovery, Karast and Stephens have been getting closer during this past
month since the track meet where they met. It’s been a time of connection for the two of them
for the unfortunate time they have lost through the years.

“Getting to know Donald has been awesome,” Karast said. “Both of our parents get
along really well, too. We’ve basically become one big family.”

Karast and Stephens both plan to attend Texas A&M University and study engineering.
Karst and Stephens have many hobbies in common such as art, baseball, food, math, and
track- the one that connected them together.

“He’s 16 and I’m 17 and, so far, we like the same things,” Karast said. “We even have
the same favorite food — cheese enchiladas.”

As they look ahead towards the future with each other in the picture, Karast and
Stephens will face off at the regional playoff baseball games for the final time tomorrow.
Surprisingly, both are starting pitchers for their respective teams.

“I am excited about the games,” Karast said, “It’s going to be an even match up this
weekend. The great thing is, both of us will go to the UIL State Baseball Tournament. One will
be a player, and the other a fan.”