Long-lost sisters meet for the first time in 73 years: 'Our parents never told a soul'

Christmas came early for a pair of long-lost sisters when they finally got the chance to meet each other for the first time in their lives. Their long-awaited encounter had been nearly two years in the making after the duo came to know of each others' existence by a perfect accident. 73-year-old Linda Hoffman and her older sister Harriet Carter, 76, first connected by chance after both signed up for an account on Ancestry.com, reports KMGH. At the time, both Hoffman was reportedly unaware that she even had a sister in another part of the country as Carter had been placed for adoption at birth when her parents were just 18.

Speaking to the outlet, Hoffman revealed that her parents never mentioned to her that she had a sibling and ended up taking their secret to the grave with them when they died decades ago. The sisters only came to know the truth when two years ago, they came across each other on the genealogy company's website, which collects familial history records and connects families across the globe. "I had a message from Harriet saying, 'I think we might be related,'" Hoffman said. "We were 100% match, but our parents never told a soul ever."

Hoffman and Carter then connected with each other over the phone and have been talking nearly every day since. However, because of the pandemic, their desire to meet each other in person was further delayed. That finally changed last week when the pair finally got the chance to meet after Carter flew to Denver from Sacramento, California. "I'm so excited. I can imagine what she's thinking," Hoffman said as she eagerly awaited her sister's arrival at Denver International Airport early Tuesday morning. "Oh my God, that’s her," she added with unbridled excitement when she spotted her sister at the airport.

"I can't believe how much you look like my mom. Your mom. Our mom... I can't quit staring at you," Hoffman told her older sister as the two embraced for the first time ever. The sisters ended up sitting in the airport terminal for some time before heading to Hoffman's home, catching up and looking at old photos of their mother and the family that Carter missed out on. "This picture is sad because you’re not in it," Hoffman said to her older sister. However, Carter was happy to lay eyes on the photographs of her family as they reinforced the importance of family for her.

"To see all these pictures of the love and the bonding and the closeness... now that I get older, it’s especially relevant," Carter said. Upon arriving at Hoffman’s home, she was greeted by a special room of Christmas decorations in honor of her arrival. "Look at this. I love it," Carter said as she looked around the decked-out room. Although they missed out on over seven decades of being in each others' lives, Carter and Hoffman are choosing not to dwell on the time missed. Instead, the sisters are focusing on cherishing the time they have left. "I think we found each other when we were supposed to," Hoffman said. Carter agreed, adding: "Everything happens when it's supposed to anyway."