Woman separated from family at birth due to parents' leprosy reunites with brother 53 years later

Most siblings might annoy each other for life, but their bond is unbreakable. The saying "Blood is thicker than water" holds true for Douglas Carillo and Linda Mae Maldonado, two Hawaiian siblings who hadn't met in over five decades, according to PEOPLE. When their father Teofilo Carillo was diagnosed with Hansen's disease, also known as leprosy, in 1946, he was exiled to Kalaupapa, Molokai island, separating him from his family.

At that time, there was no effective treatment for leprosy, and people had to be isolated on the remote Hawaiian island. Teofilo's family of five, his wife, and four children struggled to make ends meet, surviving on the single mother's meager income from odd jobs. In Kalaupapa, Teofilo had a daughter with Nellie Kaimuki Hueu, but baby Maldonado was separated from her parents at birth due to their leprosy. She was soon adopted by the LaweLawes, who didn't reveal anything about her biological parents. As treatments for leprosy advanced, Teofilo was cured and allowed to leave the island.

When Nellie Kaimuki Hueu refused to leave with him, Teofilo decided to reunite with his other family. He revealed to his four children that they had a half-sister, but he didn't know her whereabouts since their separation at birth. Sadly, Teofilo passed away before Maldonado could find him. In 2003, Maldonado learned from a member of her adoptive family that her biological parents were likely patients from Kalaupapa. At 55, she reunited with her biological mother, who wasn't interested in reconnecting. However, finding her brother Douglas led to an emotional rollercoaster.

It took barely a few seconds for Douglas to recognize his half-sister's striking resemblance to her father. As she approached his home in Maui in 2003, Douglas told his wife, "This girl looks just like my dad." He told the media channel, "I open the door and she starts crying, and we are hugging and kissing. It was like my dad was there." The siblings exchanged their love and Maldonado even got to see the picture of her biological dad, Teofilo, for the first time ever. She also connected well with her other half-brother Melvin Carillo in Las Vegas. When Maldonado was captivated by the complex lives of the children of Kalaupapa, she was inspired to write a book about it and her brother Melvin was a great source of motivation.

"The Lost Children of Kalaupapa" was Maldonado's brainchild, revealing the truth about the children of leprosy patients lost in Kalaupapa. It's been 20 years since Maldonado reunited with her biological father's side of the family. Despite the decades apart, the siblings formed a strong bond as soon as they found each other. They often call each other, and Douglas and his wife travel twice a year to Las Vegas, where his half-sister lives. "He tells me we are the last two Carillos alive. He’s a sweetheart, and I love him," Maldonado said about Douglas. "When we finally met, there was relief in my heart, you know. I've known you for almost 20 years, brother, and I can carry you with me for the rest of my life," she shared in an interview with StoryCorps.