Neighboring Families Discover the Girls They Adopted from China Are Actually Sisters

Two neighboring families were stunned to discover that the girls they adopted from China are half-sisters, leaving them stunned at the possibility of such a coincidence.

The world is filled with seemingly impossible stories and coincidences that are almost fictional. Still, the story of two neighboring families in the US adopting half-sisters from different cities in China has been labeled magical.

Weldon Springs' Maneage and Galbierz families are only three minutes away from each other. The families have more than a few things in common.

The little sisters, Ellianna Maneage and Kinley Galbierz in a picture together | Photo: facebook.com/staci.maneage

They attend the same school district and attend the same church, where they were formerly members of the same Bible study group.

During an adoption conference for waiting families in 2008, the families, who both have biological children, grew closer. Ellianna was adopted by the Maneage family two years later.

HOW IT HAPPENED

In 2012, the Galbierz family was also on the verge of adopting. Paige Galbierz requested that her friend Staci Maneage submit a letter of recommendation for the adoption to proceed. In 2013, the Galbierz family flew to China to meet and adopt Kinley when the one-child policy in China was still in place.

Paige then shared a picture of Kinley on Facebook, but it struck a huge chord in Staci's mind. She could not help but feel a strong similarity between the little girl and her adopted daughter for many reasons.

According to Staci, the girls looked identical, and soon, they became friends. However, Staci said she believed the girls had more than facial similarities. The girls were said to have the same personalities and energy levels.

Paige didn't seem to notice the similarities at the time despite being told by Staci. She felt it's unlikely that the girls, who came from a country with a population of over a billion people, are connected.

Ellianna was discovered in a hospital in Longgang, while Kinley was discovered outside a bus station in Zhuhai city, more than two hours apart. The daughters were adopted by the families through various agencies. They started their adoption journey at separate periods as well.

Despite this, Staci remarked she couldn't shake the notion that the two girls were connected. So, notwithstanding her husband's disapproval, Staci asked Paige if she would be willing to have the girls' DNA checked. To put the matter to rest, Paige reluctantly agreed.

GETTING THE TRUTH

The DNA result showed that the girls were 99% related and likely to be half-sisters, but it was not clear who their shared parent is. Since this circumstance is so unusual, adoption counselors had no idea how to advise the parents on how to tell their girls about the news.

Shortly after they shared the news with the Galbierz family, the Maneage family informed Ellianna, who already felt the two were similar. Both families said it took some time for everyone to process the news.

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