Two sisters reunited last week after being apart for 78 years, the Associated Press reported.
Ann Hunt and Elizabeth Hamel were able to see each other for the first time since birth in Fullerton, California, thanks to efforts from their children and help from a psychology professor, the Orange County Register reported Sunday.
Hunt, who lives in England, started looking for her birth mother after her adopted mother passed away. Following that, she found out that she had a twin sister.
Although Hamel, who lives in Oregon, was aware that she had a twin sister, she never imagined that she would get a chance to see her again.
"How lovely to see you in the flesh," Hamel said, as she embraced her sister at a hotel in Fullerton.
Professor Nancy Segal, who researches twins who were raised apart to better understand the role of genes and environment in human development, would be spending the next day helping the twin sisters undergo testing at the Twin Studies at California State University, Fullerton
"Both women were born in Aldershot, England, in 1936. Their mother, a domestic servant, decided to give up one of the girls after their birth father fled," the AP reported. "Hamel said she kept her because she was born with curvature of the spine, which would have made it more difficult for her to be adopted."
"Hamel grew up an only child. She met her husband - a "Yank"- while stationed with the Women's Royal Enlisted Navy in Malta, and eventually moved to the United States. The couple had two sons."
Also raised as an only child, Hunt was adopted by a couple and didn't start searching for her birth mother until her adopted mother died. A year ago, she learned that she had a twin.
Samantha Stacey, one of Hunt's three daughters, tracked down Hamel and sent her a letter, according to the AP. Soon, they were communicating on the phone.
After undergoing testing in Fullerton, the sisters, who are believed to be fraternal twins, and cousins plan to spend a week at Hamel's home looking at old photos and learning more about each other.
"You wonder about someone and what they're like and suddenly they're here," Hamel said. "It's a shock."
"It's a shock and a joy," Hunt added.
