Sisters meet for the first time, more than 55 years after being adopted by separate families. Despite living in the same communities at times in their lives, 59-year-old Diane Ward and her sister 56-year old Mary McLaughlin had never met. Diane was put up for adoption when she was an infant and while Mary did know her mother, she also grew up with adoptive parents.
Diane was always curious about her heritage and so she took a DNA test through an online genealogy site and matched with a possible cousin who told her she might have a half-sister. Mary agreed to allow Diane to contact her through the genealogy site, but she was still skeptical, having been told her whole life that she was an only child. But after they video chatted, Mary started to believe they could be related, and then she also did a DNA test, confirming that they are sisters.
The two of them really hit it off, spending hours video chatting. Mary said even if they hadn’t turned out to be sisters, they would have likely continued to be friends because they got along so well. After a few months of chatting online, the sisters got to finally meet in person. Diane lives in the UK with her British husband, and they and their adult children traveled to North Carolina, where they were met by Mary. The sisters spent a week together enjoying each other’s company, and although they wish they could have known one another sooner, they have each other now. "As we enter the second half of our lives," Mary says, "now we get to do it together. And it's going to be beautiful."
Source: People