Two Orphaned Sisters Separated 40 Years Ago In South Korea Reunite In Florida
This may be the feel-good story of the week.
Two orphaned sisters separated in South Korea 40 years ago have been reunited after being hired at the same hospital in Florida, according to the news outlet ITV.com.
Both women reportedly spent time in orphanages in Korea before being adopted by American families. The two women, Eun-Sook, known as Meagan Hughes, and Pok-nam Shin, known as Holly Hoyle O-Brien, were both hired at a hospital in Sarasota, Florida to work on the same floor earlier this year, according to The Guardian.
The two women, who reportedly worked the same 7a.m.- 7:30 p.m. shift, were able to become friends very quickly. Regardless of how easily their friendship came about, it was still a shock for the two to discover they were related.
“I was like, this is too good to be true. I said we’ve got to do the DNA test, it’s the only way we’ll get the truth out of the whole thing,” O’Brien told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Lovely story of two #Korean sisters, reunited after 40 years http://t.co/xgdbWacKOq pic.twitter.com/VlG35BLHBy
— Gavin Ganendran (@liyygg) October 12, 2015
She reportedly ordered DNA kits from Canada and the women did mouth swabs, which were sent back to Canada in early August. The match was positive.
“I’m like, this can’t be,” O’Brien told the paper.
“I was trembling, I was so excited. I was ecstatic.”
Although both sisters spent time in orphanages, they were reportedly taken at different times.
Hughes was reportedly taken away from her alcoholic father by her mother as a very young child, while O’Brien, who is two years older, was left in the care of the father. When he passed away as O’Brien turned five, she was reportedly taken to an orphanage in Pusan.
Four years later, O’Brien was reportedly adopted by an American couple in 1978. Hughes was reportedly adopted by an American family back in 1976, and grew up in New York state, just 300 miles from her sister.
“When I heard from Holly, my first reaction was like, ‘Oh my god.’ I was in shock, I was numb. I have a sister,” Hughes said.
