46-YEAR-OLD NURSE LEARNS A HARD TRUTH ABOUT HER BIRTH FAMILY WHEN SOMEONE UNEXPECTED ENTERS HER LIFE

 

This is a unique story with lots of bitter and sweet surprises. It is about a woman who during her search for her birth family uncovers some unbelievable secrets. This incredible story took place in South Korea. O’Brien, the woman desperately wanted to know about her biological family but all the bridges to the past were burnt. O’Brien’s wish to locate her birth family ended at an unimaginable note. The woman worked as a nurse in a  hospital in Florida.

Adoption

O’Brien was put up for adoption when she was a small child. The life had given her another chance to live a life that many orphans dream of. Her adoptive family welcomed her with all their hearts and she too loved being a part of her new family. Years passed by but a part of the woman could not move on. She still wanted to trace back her birth family. Was it too much to ask for? 

Tracing Back

In a world with a population of over 7.7 billion, it is not easy to locate someone without the required information and resources. She did not know anything about her birth family. The journey was no doubt tough but she was not going to give up without trying. 

Why

Well, we can’t blame O’Brien for her curiosity to know about her past as human tends to get more attracted to things unknown. Curiosity is an integral part of human nature. Some have it less and some have it more in them. It has been seen that many adopted kids have tried to know about their birth family. Some succeeded while some failed. However, the adopted kids should not neglect the emotions of their adoptive parents.    

Hard Times

O’Brien does not remember much about her birth family except that her mother died right after bringing her to the world. The little girl could not even get a hug from her. Her birth brought no happiness to anyone in fact, it ended up becoming a bad memory. You may think that is the worst that can happen to one but the girl’s misfortune had just begun.   

Step Mother

The whole responsibility of her had fallen upon her broken and alone father. We all are aware of the importance of a mother in the life of a growing child. However, she was not only kept from the world’s purest love but also had to face hardships since her birth. Her father unable to look after her on his own and decided to remarry. This is how O’Brien got a stepmother. 

Good Times?

The little child who remained unknown to motherly love was hopeful and happy about having a mom. Her father thought that the little girl needed a mom and that is why he brought another woman to their family. However, nothing went as planned. The stepmother was least concerned about her. In fact, she did not like her.      

Daddy’s Girl

O’Brien felt alone and left out in her own house. The only thing that brought her relief was her father’s affection. She grew closer to him as he was the only person who loved her. Every evening the little girl would wait for her father to come back home so that they could have some good time with him. Her father was the only source of happiness in her life.    

Broken

O’Brien was too young to realize that her father was an alcoholic. It was a difficult life and he decided to pull through it with the help of alcohol. Whereas the man had found his solace in alcohol, O’Brien was fully dependent on her father. O’Brien was only four years old when she had to face another tragedy. 

Wait The Never Ends

The memories of that particular day were still fresh in her mind. That day the little girl was waiting for her father just like any other day. However, her father did not turn up. She kept on waiting but there was no sign of him. The girl could not fathom what was taking him so long. Her father did not come but a piece of heartbreaking news did.  

Not Coming Back

Her father was gone. The man was found lifeless nearby a railway track. Now, there was no one to look after the little girl. Her one and only hope was taken away from her. That day she cried her heart out and there was no one to console her. 

Adoption

Her stepmother had no intention of keeping the little girl after her husband died. She just wanted to get rid of her and so she decided to put her up for adoption. O’Brien had just begun to understand life when life slapped her again. She was ousted from her home and was made to live with strangers. Unfortunately, her stepmother did not even bother to investigate the adoptive family as she was so eager to get rid of her.    

Lost Love

Unfortunately, the girl found herself in an orphanage just after a few days of her father’s demise. There were many children like her in that orphanage house. As expected, the death of her father had left a deep impact on her. She became quieter. She shut herself off. No matter how much the staff would try to cheer her up, she remained indifferent and sad. 

American Family

It was during that time, a couple from Alexandria, Virginia made a trip to the orphanage. They were looking for a child to adopt. The pair kept on searching until they saw O’Brien. Unbelievable though it may seem, the pair felt an instant connection with the girl. Her sparkling eyes and expressionless face tugged to their heartstrings. They decided to adopt her. 

Growing Up

O’Brien had found another home. The child had Shin as her last name at the time of adoption but the couple changed her name to “Holly O’Brien.” With a new name and a new family, O’Brien flew to her new home, Virginia. Unlike her previous family, her adoptive parents gave their best to make her comfortable at home. She was finally getting the love she deserved but was it the end?    

Interest

The American couple did their best to provide O’Brien with every comfort. Soon, O’Brien too got over her painful past, thanks to her loving family. While studying, she figured that she wants to pursue a career in the medical field. The girl studied hard and finally cracked her medical exam. Her future looked promising but the past had still its scars on her. 

Doctor’s Hospital

The girl got a job as a nurse at the Doctor’s Hospital of Sarasota. As expected, O’Brien won everyone’s heart at the hospital with her hard work and dedication. The best thing about her was the way she used to treat her patient. She had earned herself a very respected place in the hospital and continued to make many friends. The girl who was once a quiet little girl had turned into a warm extrovert.       

Vacancy

The hospital she was working in had fallen short of nurses. The vacancies were many and there were a lot of candidates who wanted to work in that reputed hospital. It was during that search Matt Nelms recommended Holly Hughes. Julie Bennett, clinical nurse manager for the surgical unit at Doctors said, “I met Holly in December,” . “She had a very earnest quality about her, very service-oriented, so we hired her, and she’s been a great employee. But we also had Matt Nelms telling us about Meagan, you need to look at Meagan . . .”

Interviews

One of the candidates was Meagan Hughes. She too had a impressive resume with considerable work experience. Matt Nelms, a high-rank employee at the hospital took the interview and hired her immediately. According to him, she was going to be a good addition to the organization. 

Under Training

O’Brien was assigned the task of giving training to Meagan. The former had trained many nurses and she was looking forward to train Meagan too as she had heard a lot of good things about her from Nelms. The duo were going to work on the same floor at the same shift. O’Brien and Meagan got along very well in their first meeting.    

Rapport Formation

O’Brien stayed in charge of Meagan for five months. They had become very good friends over the months. You could see them talking for hours. People take years to form a bond that they had formed in a few months. They talked not only about their professional lives but personal too. It is while having one of those honest conversation, O’Brien learned something unbelievable.    

Me Too

O’Brien learned a surprising truth about Meagan when she asked her if she too belonged to Korea. She had this question on her mind since she had seen her for the first time. The answer came in positive. Just like her, Meagan too belonged to Korea and had an unique life story. Thereafter, she said something that made O’Brien made her jaw drop. 

Something More

Meagan during that conversation said that she originally belonged to South Korea. She spent a few years of her childhood residing with her father in their house but soon got relocated to an orphanage after her father died. After living in the orphanage for some time, she got adopted by a couple from New York. O’Brien was still surprised to know that the person she had been talking to for so long shared a same life story like hers. Was there anything more common between them? O’Brien asked her which orphanage she was put in.  

What A Surprise

Much to O’Brien surprise, she stayed in the same orphanage as her. Well, this piece of information blew O’Brien’s mind. The veteran was 46 years old whereas Meagan had just turned 44. They wondered if there was more to discover about each other and so they began discussing about their past. 

Just A Coincidence?

Their trip down the memory lane was full of surprises. They excitedly shared about their days in South Korea with each other. Meagan revealed that she got her name changed after being adopted by the American family. Well, that is what had happened to O’Brien as well. She wondered if this all really was a coincidence.   

Last Name

One thing leads to another. O’Brien asked Meagan about her Korean name. Even though Meagan was a small child then, she clearly remembered her last name. The woman uttered ‘Shin.’ O’Brien could not believe her ears.   

Can She Be?

That can’t be a coincidence. O’Brien wondered if she was related to Meagan in any way. But if she was actually her relative than how come she does not remember her. They needed to solve this mystery at any cost. 

Don’t You Think?

O’ Brien discussed her thoughts with Meagan. It was difficult for her to believe that two strangers can have so much in common with each other. They also could not ignore the connection they had felt with each other in one meeting only. Earlier, they never gave it much thought but now they had some facts staring right in their face.  

DNA Test

Medical science has made great progress over the years. The friends believed very much in it and hence decided to put an end to their dilemma with its help. It sounded weird in the beginning, but the duo decided to go for a DNA test to check if they were related to each other.   

Search For Truth

They took a DNA test as it was the only way to get to the bottom of it. O’Brien said, “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.” 

Results

The result came out on August 17. O’Brien reached the hospital early that day. She was curious to know the result. The woman with a racing heart headed to the lab to collect their DNA test. While walking she wondered what could be the result. Were they really related or was all this indeed a coincidence? She was going to figure out very soon.  

And It Said…..

The woman finally had the DNA report in her hand. She tore the envelope to get the report not knowing what was in it. The result was written in bold. O’Brien felt as if she was dreaming. The woman could not believe her eyes. She could not realize when tears began to stream down her cheek. 

Just Like That

They had not anticipated that a casual conversation will bring their unforgettable past to the fore. Their DNA matched by 50 percent. Well, the revelation was way too much to take for her. The colleague she had been talking to for the last six months turned out to be her half-sister. Surprisingly, O’Brien could not remember anything about her. She wondered how would Meagan react to the report. 

Keep Her Calm

Meagan was busy looking after her patients when O’Brien texted her the result. O’Brien could not wait for Meagan’s shift to end to tell her the news. She was over the moon and wanted to see Meagan’s response as well. Meagan on the other hand felt the floor beneath her sweeping off when she read the text. However, the woman had to keep her calm as she was working.  

Impossible

Meagan recounted, “I was working that day and when I got the text, I was working with a patient and I had to keep my composure,”. “I was shocked. It was just impossible. Fortunately, it was near the end of my shift. If she had texted me early in the morning, I don’t know what I would’ve done.” Both of them had no memory of their siblings. It was the biggest and best surprise they could get.  

The Warm Hug

It was getting difficult for Meagan to keep her patience and so the first thing she did after being done with her patients was to run to her sister. It was an amazing moment. Both of them kept staring at each other in bewilderment. Meagan then gave O’Brien a tight hug. It was an unexpected yet the most beautiful moment of their lives. 

Almost 45 years

O’Brien was a couple year older than Meagan. It is after 45 years they found that they have a sibling that too through a formal conversation. O’Brien and Meagan always wanted to know more about their biological roots but had no hope.   

Unbelievable News

“I was on vacation, we were driving to California,” Bennett recalled. “Well, my husband was driving, I was drowsy, and Holly texted me in the car, saying ‘You’ll never believe it, the DNA came back positive, Meagan’s my sister.’ I literally sat straight up, nudged my husband and woke the kids up in the back seat.”

Laughing Together

Now they were laughing while discussing this unexpected twist of their lives. The women had forgotten their past and were concentrating on their present when this essential detail from their past cropped up. What are the odds of finding a colleague to be your sister. O’Brien had something to share on it. 

An Intuition

O’Brien always missed having a sibling. She had a lot to share but no one to share with. And when she learned that she actually had a sibling, the woman could not hide her ecstasy.   

A Closure

Meagan was happy too. She admired O’Brien for not getting discouraged by her tough past. She explained, “The one thing I told Holly was I felt like it was closure. I got my closure… it’s something that I’ve always wanted to know if I have any siblings, or just to know about my background.”

Let’s Go Back

The sisters decided to fly back to their birth country, South Korea. They wanted to know more about their past. They went to the orphanage to fetch out more details about their adoption. It is there they found out why were they put up for adoption.     

Records

The sisters got a lot of information in that orphanage. They got their hands on some old documents along with visa copies that had details regarding their birth of date and their relocation to the states. The records also had their former last name Shin mentioned on it. Meagan also found out how she had ended up in the orphanage. 

Couldn’t Take Responsibility

O’Brien’s stepmother could not bear the responsibility of Meagan as she struggled to meet the basic needs after her husband died. Due to her inability to look after Meagan, she left her in an orphanage. Nobody knows where did her stepmother went after leaving Meagan in the orphanage. 

First Meeting

 It all seemed amazing. Maybe their fate had a big role to play in it. O’Brien reminisces, “The patient said, ‘Hey, there’s a girl named Meagan, she’s from Korea, maybe you need to talk to her and get to know her,’ and I said, ‘Okay, I’ll give it a shot.’ I think I came by and said, ‘Hi, I’m Holly.’ ”

Life Now

Everyone in the hospital believed that the sisters were meant to meet each other. Nelms stated, “Everything had to happen just right for them to meet, and the odds of that were like a miracle.” “I still can’t believe it,” he revealed. The man is happy that he could be of use in the reunion of lost sisters.

Supportive Co-Workers

The hospital staff are still in disbelief. Robert Meade, Doctors Hospital Chief Executive Officer stated, “We are thrilled to have Holly and Meagan as members of our healthcare family, and we look forward to continuing to support them as they reconnect after so many decades apart.”

Lucky Enough

As far as the sisters are concerned, they can’t thank their lucky stars enough for making this happen.  O’Brien with teary eyes said, “I have this very strong belief that God must be . . .” “Like, whatever I’ve done, I must’ve done something good in my life.”

Right Choice

O’Brien is happy that she pursued her career in medical field. Had she not become a nurse, the woman would have never met her half-sister. “But I’m glad I joined in this field instead of something else,” revealed O’Brien.

Now A Family

The Shin sisters are very fond of each other. They have arranged many get together since then. Not only do they love each other but also their families have gelled up quite well. O’Brien do not have any kids and so she spends most of her free time with Holly’s kids. She is having time of her life. 

What A Co-Incidence!

Could this story be more unbelievable? Who knew a story that begun with tragedies and hardships would end at such a beautiful and satisfying note. Not many separated kids manages to find back their family but O’Brien and Meagan not only found each other but also found a family too.