After being separated at birth 34 years ago — a girl in her diploma class shared a personal story that made her classmate sit up instantly

Fate has a funny way of working things out; sometimes it puts your long-lost family member right across the room in front of you. 35-year-old Lizzie Valverde met her long-lost sister, 34-year-old Katy Olson, on the first day of their Non-Fiction Writing class in Columbia. It truly seemed like fate because Valverde enrolled in the class 45 minutes before it started. CBS Mornings shared the story of the two sisters on May 18, 2015. The video has received 965,000 views, 8,100 likes, and 428 comments.

Separated at birth, reunited by non-fiction

The sisters found out about each other because of a professor's question, "What in our life was stranger than fiction, or what drew us to writing non-fiction?" Valverde's answer spooked Olson because of how familiar it sounded. Several of the things she said matched what Olson knew about her sister. After class, Olson approached Valverde and asked her extremely specific questions. That was when Valverde went, "Is this real life?" She could not believe what she was hearing. Valverde admitted that she did not even know she had a sister out there in the world, and to find her in the same writing class was "surreal."

She chose their futures over her happiness 

Valverde and Olson were born in Florida and adopted at birth. Their biological mother, Leslie Parker, who was 54 when the sisters reunited, was just a teenager when she gave birth to her daughters, as per ABC News. She gave both of them up for adoption because she knew she could not give them the ideal life and childhood she wanted to. She thought it was the best decision at the time. She told CBS Mornings, "I wanted to give them the best possible future they could have, and it wouldn't have been with me, as sad as it is to give up your own children, but I felt that the best gift I could give them was to let them go so they had a chance." 

Sometimes, adoption can be the best option

There are several reasons why women choose to give up their babies for adoption. Some of the reasons include wanting the baby to have the best life possible, a loving family, and a stable two-parent home. Some women may also choose to give up their children because of personal goals and plans, financial challenges, and wanting their baby to thrive when they grow up. In some cases, to help an adoptive family.

Parker did it because of her unconditional love for her daughters and wanted them to have better futures. The good news is that 85% of adopted children are happy with their adoptive families, according to the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. The report also revealed that 67% of adoptive families are open to visits or phone calls from the birth parents, and 68% are okay with exchanging letters, emails, and visits after placement.

The family reunion

The sisters' story went viral right before Valverde was about to graduate from Columbia. Olson had graduated the year before and was ecstatic to attend her sister's graduation, but that was not the only good news. Valverde and her birth mom reconnected years ago. However, Olson had never met Parker before. The day before Valverde's graduation, she saw her birth mom for the first time. "I thought it went really well. She was very open, and it was nice to get to speak with her... we talked about a wide variety of subjects, my birth and why she wasn't able to keep me, all the way to who's your favorite male celebrity," Olson told the news outlet. Parker also said, "I'm so proud of them. They're both amazing, beautiful women."

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