08 May,2014 08:23 AM IST | | Agencies
The twin sisters were reunited last week for the first time since birth, 78 years ago, in Fullerton, California, thanks to a nudge from their children and help from a psychology professor
California: The twin sisters were reunited last week for the first time since birth, 78 years ago, in Fullerton, California, thanks to a nudge from their children and help from a psychology professor.
Hunt, who lives in England, was given up for adoption and only learned she had a twin sister when she began looking for her birth mother following her adopted mother's death. Hamel, who lives in Oregon, always knew she had a twin but said she never thought she would see her.
"How lovely to see you in the flesh," Hamel said, as she embraced Hunt at a hotel in Fullerton. The women were to spend the next day undergoing testing at the Twin Studies Center at California State University, Fullerton, with professor Nancy Segal, who researches twins who were raised apart to better understand the role of genes and environment in human development.
Both women were born in Aldershot, England, in 1936. Their mother, a domestic servant, decided to give up one of the girls after their biological father fled. Hamel said her mother 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.
