Adopted siblings reunite after being separated for more than 20 years
After she became a mother, she realized she wanted to find her birth family, and embarked on a search for them.
Christina Housel had been adopted at birth, but it was only after she had children of her own that she decided she would like to find her biological family for the first time.
As reported by Inside Edition, when Housel started researching her background online, she discovered that she had a brother, Lyle James Berryman.
She was excited to find out she had more family, and reached out to him. Berryman admitted that the moment he saw her photo, he knew she was his sister, because they looked so similar.
When they met up, he told her something incredible. Unlike Housel, Berryman had grown up with their mother, and before she had passed away, she had confided in him that he actually had three sisters, including a set of twins.
The two reunited siblings were determined to find their twin sisters, and took to Facebook with a photo of the pair holding up signs that explained their situation.
Housel's sign read: "Just met after 30 years."
Berryman's added: "Still looking for twin girls born in Florida around May or April 1992-94."
The photo went viral, and eventually reached Lauren Rutherford and Ashley Bo, twin sisters who had been adopted at birth.
Just looking at the image, Bo was convinced that Housel could be her sister, and the pair were excited to find out more about their siblings.
All four of them arranged a meeting where they shared childhood photos, giving the twins their first glance of their mother. “It just kind of hits you because you are actually looking at her pictures,” Bo said of the emotional moment.
After they'd all met, they discovered they had another link in the military. Housel served in the Navy, Berryman served in the US Army in Iraq, and Bo's husband was in the Air Force.
The siblings were all just happy to know one another, and enjoyed drinks together to learn more about each other.