Kara knew that in order to move forward,

she had to make the choice to forgive.

Kara Hewes knew her father, Bruce Sundlun, was a dynamic man whose legendary bravery during WWII transcended to his life in the courtroom, the boardroom, and finally as two-term governor of Rhode Island. But she’d never laid eyes on him until one transformational moment, when she awoke in the middle of the night as a TV news anchor announced he was running for office.  One look at his picture and she knew she needed to find the other half of her.

Her letters and phone calls went unanswered, so the determined teen hired a lawyer, arranged a secret meeting, and DNA test, but he still refused to acknowledge her.  His rejection permeated every cell. She was bright and ambitious, so why wasn’t she worth loving?

At 17, ready for college, Kara boldly faced a packed press conference to file a paternity suit. In the middle of the media frenzy, Bruce did the unexpected and offered to help pay for college and invited Kara to come live with him so he could get to know her better.   It was a summer of firsts for Kara, from living in a Newport mansion, to meeting her new family and toughest of all, trying to find space in her father’s heart. It was Kara’s effervescent smile and inherited stubborn determination that proved impossible for Bruce to resist. It took the unconditional love and forgiveness of a 17-year-old girl to break down the barriers that had separated father and daughter for too long.