Twins Reunited After 78 Years: Elizabeth Hamel and Ann Hunt Were Separated at Birth (VIDEO)
Twins were reunited after 78 years apart after one of the twins' daughter sent a letter across the world. Ann Hunt and Elizabeth Hamel, 78, were separated at birth in 1936 after their mother gave up Hunt for adoption in Aldershot, England.
The twins' mother, Alice Lamb, had the two girls but because of Hamel's medical issues— she was born with a curved spine, require costly medical procedures— Hunt was given up for adoption. While Hamel was told as a child that she had a sister, she had no idea where she was and knew it would be difficult to find her if she had taken her husband's last name, as she did. The twins' meeting was even less likely since Hamel lived in Albany, Oregon.
Nevertheless, when Hunt's daughter Samantha Stacey began researching the family's genealogy, she managed to locate her aunt Elizabeth Hamel and sent her a letter.
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"I do get mail from England," Hamel told CBS News. "But I was surprised when I saw Aldershot because we were born in Aldershot."
The twins began Skyping and calling each other to catch up. They found out little tidbits about each other like using their "hands in a similar manner," Hunt said. Even though they are fraternal twins and Hamel is 20 minutes older, they still both married men with the same name and last initial.
"You think, this is someone like me," Hamel told CNN.
On May 1, the twins finally met in Los Angeles, California, and made sure to bring gifts to each other. From there, they headed to Hamel's home state of Oregon to spend more time together.
"We've got the same toes," Hunt said. "I feel actually complete."
