Twins Ann Hunt and Elizabeth Hamel met for the first time last week after 78 years of being a part, making them the longest separated twins in recorded history.
According to the Associated Press, the reunion took place in Fullerton at the bequest of their children, after Hunt’s daughter Samantha Stacey located Hamel and wrote to her. While Hamel always knew she had a twin somewhere, Hunt never knew she had a sister until she began looking for her birth mother.
Hamel commented, "You wonder about someone and what they're like and suddenly they're here. It's a shock." Hunt added, "It's a shock and a joy."
Hamel and Hunt were born in Aldershot, UK to single mother Anne Lamb. BBC reports the sisters were invited to Fullerton by psychologist Dr. Nancy Segal, who specializes in researching twins. Dr. Segal will conduct a two day study on the sisters determining DNA and behavioral studies.
"We want to get a comprehensive overview of their lives, their abilities, their interests, and put it all together as an important case study, because this is really the world's longest separated pair of twins,” said Segal.
Strikingly, both Hunt and Hamel married men named Jim.