Mom Discovers Adopted Daughter's Identical Twin Sister
It started with an idea for her daughter's Christmas present. Jennifer Doering wanted to track down her 10-year-old daughter Audrey's "Finding Ad," which Chinese orphanages are required to run in provincial newspapers when a child ends up at their location, and give it to Audrey as a gift.
In early December, the Wisconsin mother-of-four enlisted the help of an adoption research organization to help find the ad, but the company came back with a photo that gave Doering the shock of a lifetime. "To my amazement I saw TWO Audreys," she wrote on Facebook.
Audrey had a sister - an identical twin sister. Doering started digging and discovered that two girls were brought to the Chinese orphanage on the same day. One of them was Audrey, the other was her sister.
The biggest clue was the girls' names. Audrey's given name was "Gui." The other child's name was "Mei." Together the words mean rose in Chinese. Naming twins so they unite as one meaning is not uncommon in China, explained Doering.
Doering posted on Chinese adoption Facebook groups and spread the word in her adoption community. She kept hitting dead ends. On a whim, she located the Facebook page of Andrea Duke Olson, who helps Chinese children with congenital heart defects; Audrey had been born with heart complications and Doering thought her twin might have as well. "Something called to me," she said. "Post on this site, my gut said."
Olson was the key. She did in fact treat a child with the name and birthdate Doering provided - and quickly found the child's mother's information on a Yahoo TONGGU adoption site.
All along, she discovered, Audrey's long-lost identical twin sister was living just a short flight away in Washington. Her name is Gracie Rainsberry. "She is a clone of Audrey," Doering wrote.
Doering contacted the Rainsberry family via Facebook to set up a FaceTime session where the sisters could speak face-to-face. The similarities, even over the phone, were uncanny. They share the same quirks and passions - they love math, learning, animals, sports and, best of all, fettuccine alfredo.
"We have all cried and cried some more," said Doering about the discovery. "I believe that every good and bad thing happens for a reason."
The girls are planning to meet in person as soon as possible.
[h/t The Mirror]
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