Sisters separated at birth reunite in Greece, connect with third sibling
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
In just a few days, a long overdue moment will finally arrive for two sisters separated at birth and unaware of each other’s existence for most of their lives.
Theodora Sullivan, a Greek Australian adoptee, will land at Athens Airport in mid-September, where she will be greeted by her sister Maria. The two have been in daily contact since they discovered each other five years ago.
Their reunion has gained new urgency after they learned only a month ago that they have another sister, Ioanna, who still lives with their birth mother in Greece, and the sisters are determined to meet their birth family together for the first time.
The crew of a popular TV show in Greece, uncovering remarkable human stories, “Alithies me ti Zina” will be there, to record the events.
“It felt like I took my first breath. I felt like I’ve been holding my breath since I was nine years old and for the first time I can breathe. Because I know the truth,” Theodora Sullivan told Neos Kosmos, describing the moment they were matched with their third sister Ioanna, leading to the discovery of their birth mother just weeks ago.
Growing up in a small Greek community in South Australia as an only child, Theodora always felt different, though she couldn’t quite place why, she told us.
When she was only nine, the taunts of schoolyard friends that she was adopted, would be the beginning of a decades-long search for answers.
Her adoptive mother would always reassure her otherwise. A heated argument with her older cousin, a few years later, who declared that she wasn’t truly family, propelled her into another confrontation with her mother, but once again, the truth was denied.
“My adoptive parents, my mum and my dad, were put on the birth certificate as if she (my adoptive mother) was the one who actually gave birth to me, instead of the mum that I’ve just found. Because it was a black market adoption. All the details on my birth certificate were falsified,” Theodora Sullivan claims.
The years went by, but the questions remained. Knowing in her heart the truth, Theodora searched through different platforms, but was reluctant to do a DNA test, anxious of opening Pandora’s box. It was only when her son became gravely ill in 2018, that she took the leap.
“I didn’t necessarily do it at that time to find family. I did it because I wanted my health records and to see what genetic markers I carried, that I could have passed on to my son.”
“I already had the DNA test sitting in my cupboard for a full year. I was so reluctant and anxious, wondering ‘What am I going to find? Who am I going to find? Am I going to find anyone?’ And then when he got sick, that’s when I said, ‘Right, I’m doing the test.’”
The test showed that she was from Roma bloodline, and that she did have cancers and kidney issues in her genes, which explained her son’s diagnosis, who thankfully since has recovered. But for a while, nothing more came back—a few distant cousins, but no close matches.
Until one morning, she was woken up by a call from Canada. A friend who was also searching for her family urged her to check her account on MyHeritage immediately. And there it was—a full match with a sister.
Her sister, Maria, had also been searching. Raised by Greek parents in Santorini, Maria had learned from a relative only six years prior that she had family out there somewhere. The two sisters connected instantly.
“We contact each other every single day, since the day we found out we were sisters. We’re very similar as well. We’ve gone through so much together in the last five years. We’re very, very much sisters. We talk about everything. We are identical in many ways… in the way we talk, the way we look, the things we do.”
Theodora was born prematurely in 1981, only 8 months after Maria. After finding their third sister Ioanna, the pieces of their birth family are falling into place. There are medical records showing how their birth mother fell apart, after her two children were taken away.
“We are 12 siblings. Six were taken away at birth, either stolen or sold.” Theodora assumes.
They are still looking for yet another sister, born in 1984, who is somewhere out there.
Though Maria lives a few hours away from her biological family, she is waiting for Theodora, as she doesn’t want to do it alone.
“She tells me, ‘We got taken together, so we’re going to go back together. That’s her motto, and that’s why she told me ‘You’re coming to Greece. We’re doing this together.’
“They’ve paid for my ticket. They’ve put themselves in debt to get me there.”
Theodora is full of excitement but also nervous ahead of this huge moment in her life, after all these years of searching.
“We need to raise awareness. I had a beautiful childhood and I love my parents very much, yet, I’m still missing a sister. Whether she’s had a good life, or a bad life, whether she knows she is adopted or not, we want to plant the seed.”
To parents who adopt children she stresses how important it is to be open about it with their children.
“Even if they’ve had a beautiful childhood, and everything’s amazing for them, they have the right to know. Because at the end of the day, knowing where you have come from, is what closes that chapter in your life, no matter what life you’ve led. Don’t let them find out from other people, especially.”
As Theodora counts down the days for this trip of a lifetime, she wants to pay back the debt to her sister Maria, who has made it all possible.
Theodora has setup a Go Fund Me page for those wishing to support her travel.
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
