Sisters reunite 55 years after being separated at birth: ‘Love at first sight’

Sister, sister!

Two sisters separated after birth and living in different countries were reunited after 55 years of being told they were only children.

UK resident Diane Ward, 58, who lives in Uffculme, Devon, was put up for adoption when she was just a baby after her mother gave birth to her at 18.

Growing up in Michigan, a state that has sealed adoption records, she only knew her mother’s name, which was fairly common, and was told she was an only child.

Ward began helping her husband, who is also an adoptee, track down his biological family when she decided to purchase a MyHeritage DNA testing kit in December 2020 as early Christmas present to herself.

After sending her sample, Ward received results several months later showing a potential second cousin, whom she messaged through the site, eager to learn more. The potential relative then told Ward what she’d been hoping for: she might have a sister.

Mary McLaughlin, 55, lives in Paragould, Arizona, but was also born in Michigan. She was raised by her biological mother, who has since died of breast cancer, for three years before being put up for adoption.

McLaughlin was also told she was an only child and only had a photo of her mother to connect her to her family.

Ward and McLaughlin both grew up searching for a connection to their biological family and agreed to jump on a video call to meet. During the virtual encounter, McLaughlin could instantly see the resemblance between Ward and their late mother.

“It was love at first sight. We just clicked and bounced off each other straight away,” Ward told Jam Press. “It was like I found my other leg. When I spoke to her on Zoom for the first time it was just an incredible feeling.

“Her husband overheard me on there and said we were very similar. He turned to her and said, ‘Yep, that’s your sister all right” We both have a sarcastic, dark sense of humor.”

After the call, McLaughlin also purchased a DNA kit from MyHeritage, which confirmed that the two are, in fact, half-sisters. Ward even discovered that she had lived only a few blocks away from her sister and mother for a while.

The sisters began speaking to each other every day and finally met in person for the first time at a beach house in North Carolina. “We’re just going to hit the beach, catch a tan and put the world to rights,” Ward said.

McLaughlin met Ward at the airport and couldn’t believe the moment was “really real,” she told Daily Mail.

“The most exciting moment has been putting my hands on my sister’s face and giving her a big hug and kiss,” she said. “From the moment we met face to face we sensed each other’s emotions.”

McLaughlin said she always felt different but finding her sister makes her feel like she “belongs.”