The coronavirus outbreak has caused many family tragedies and the loss of loved ones. In this particular case, however, it caused a beautiful reunion. In a hospital in Fremont, a town in the state of Nebraska in the United States, two sisters saw each other for the first time, more than fifty years after being separated.
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‘I knew that she was my sister’
Doris Crippen first spent 30 days in the hospital after being infected with the coronavirus. The 73-year-old pensioner, still weak, was then sent home. Later, Crippen again entered the hospital after breaking her arm.
That's when everything changed. Bev Boro, 53, a nurse who had been working at the hospital for 22 years, came across Doris' surname:
I saw her name on the chart. I couldn't believe it. I knew it was my sister.
Having been looking for her for many years, her name was the only thing Bev Boro had in her search for her biological sister.
To find out if she really was her sister, and since Doris is deaf, Bev Boro wrote their father's name on a whiteboard and showed it to her. The two American women then realised that they were related. ‘She said, “I'm your sister, Bev." I got up from my chair and burst into tears. It was such a powerful feeling of happiness,’ Doris Crippen said.
Separated for 53 years
The two sisters are part of a family of six children. In 1967, they were abandoned by their father, causing their separation. ‘I hadn't seen her for 53 years and she was still a baby. It's beautiful. I never thought I would see her again. We don't have to look for each other anymore,’ said Doris Crippen. To celebrate their reunion, the two sisters plan to introduce their respective families as soon as they can.
