Twins reunite nearly 60
Lilmtncbn
Twins reunite nearly 60
A SHEFFIELD mum who was separated from her twin brother at birth has
spoken of her joy at being reunited with him nearly 60 years on.
Joan Vickers and her long-lost twin brother Norman enjoyed an emotional
reunion in a layby off the Parkway after they tracked each other down
through a website.
Born to a struggling single mum in post-war Britain, the twins were
separated when their desperate mother begged a friend to adopt Joan
just hours after giving birth.
Norman stayed with their mother but Joan moved to the North East with
her adoptive parents and the families lost touch.
Now - almost 60 years later - the siblings have been reunited thanks to
Genes Reunited, a website which helps lost relatives track each other
down.
Joan, who now lives on Manor Oaks Road, Wybourn, Sheffield, said: "I
rang him and we just started talking. It was as though there was
something there - it felt like we had known each other for years."
Joan only found out she was adopted at the age of 11 when she needed
her birth certificate for school.
"But all I could find was adoption papers," she said.
"My mum sat me down and said, 'I think we need to have a chat'.
"Even though I was a bit young, I understood what was happening. I just
couldn't believe it.
"I have thought about Norman ever since."
Following their emotional reunion the twins, aged 59, were stunned to
discover they once lived on the same North-East street for years
without realising.
Painter and decorator Norman even used to buy his lunchtime sandwiches
from a café where Joan worked in the 1960s but neither twigged.
Joan spent 40 years looking for her brother.
The breakthrough came when a family friend put Norman's details on a
website for lost relatives, and she found them.
Norman, a father-of-six who now lives in Formby, Merseyside, with wife
Teresa, 70, said: "It's absolutely amazing when you think about it. I
reckon it's a million-to-one chance.
"To have the opportunity to get to know each other again after nearly
60 years is brilliant. I have to pinch myself."
The pair are both darts fanatics and have both worked as taxi drivers.
They also have the same number of children.
Norman said: "One night I got a call from Joan out of the blue.
"The colour just drained from me and I said, 'I've been looking for you
all my life'. Eventually I managed to speak calmly and we were on the
phone for hours - we had a lot of catching up to do."
The pair are now planning to celebrate their 60th birthdays in style
together with a party in Southport next month.
10 September 2005