After years of separation, twins find each other

Twins are born and given up for adoption because of poverty. The two lead very different lives, one living a simple lifestyle and the other living extravagantly.  Both did not know about the other twin until their paths crossed and they actually meet for the first time.  

 

It is like a story straight out of a telenovela, but for twins Sarrah and Sam, it is real life. 

 

“Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” featured the story of real life twins Sarrah and Sam, who were separated at birth but reunited under the most unexpected of circumstances. 

 

Born on June 10, 1980, Sarrah and Sam were put up for adoption because their biological mother could not afford to raise them. The twins were separated and given to two different families. 

 

Sarrah was adopted by a well-to-do family. “Ang childhood ko was very happy. I can say na na-enjoy ko iyung kabataan ko,” she recalled. “Sobra akong pinalaki ng parents ko na provided. Hindi naman ‘yung sobrang luho. Everything that I need, hindi ako nahuhuli. Kung anong uso, mayroon ako.”

 

Meanwhile, Sam was adopted by a family who led a simple lifestyle. Her father was a fisherman and her mother was a laundress. Despite this, Sam also has very fond memories of her childhood. “I was raised by normal na parents lang. I was raised as an only child. We had a very simple life, she said. “I think I had the best, although not really the extravagant things. More of a reward system kami sa bahay. You have to work hard.”

 

While both grew up dearly loved by their parents, they admit that some people around them made hints that they were adopted. When Sarrah was 10, she would hear her neighbors talk about it but did not mind it. Sam, on the other hand, felt bad whenever she heard rumors about her, but she always took comfort in her parents who loved her like she was their own. 

 

Growing up, the twins were both active in school. Sarrah was a cheerleader in the private school she went to, while Sam was editor-in-chief of the school paper in her public school. Little did the twins know that this would eventually lead them to each other. 

 

As school paper editor, Sam was covering an interschool event in Cavite when her friends came up to her and told her that they met someone who looked exactly like her. Sarrah also experienced a bit of confusion when someone came up to her in the same event and called her Diyosa, which was actually Sam’s nickname. 

 

Both sensed something was wrong. Someone even came up to Sarrah and asked, “Ampon ka ba? Kasi may kamukhang-kamukha ka, eh tingin namin kapatid mo siya. Actually. kambal kayo.” 

 

Taking into consideration the rumors they heard as kids, both Sarrah and Sam were able to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

 

With the help of their friends, the twins met for the first time. Both admitted that it was a little awkward at first. Sam did not like the idea of someone else looking exactly like her. Sarrah felt the same way. “Feeling ko para akong tinapatan ng salamin. Oh my God! Ano ito? Perya?” she said. “’Yung ‘lukso ng dugo,’ wala ‘yun.  It’s more of galit na parang naagawan ka ng mukha.”

 

After their fateful reunion, the twins both confronted their parents. Sarrah’s parents feared that she might rebel because of what she just learned. Sam’s parents were afraid that Sam might leave them for her twin sister, whose parents were earning better than they were. 

 

Eventually, the twins decided to live together for a while. This was the beginning of what would be a lifetime of closeness between the two. 

 

Today, Sarrah has a family of her own, while Sam already lost both of her adoptive parents. They said the years have only made the bond between them much stronger, and while they’ve never met their biological mother, they have already forgiven her for the choice she had to make when they were both infants. 

 

Both of them are actually grateful that they were adopted by very loving parents. If she had a choice, Sarrah said she would still choose to be with her adoptive family. “Kung uulitin ang buhay ko at may karapatan akong mamili, sila talaga ang pipiliin ko.” 

 

For Sam, Sarrah was God’s reminder that she will never be alone. While they already lost the years that they spent apart, they are making up for it by promising that from now on, they will never be separated again. — Angelita Bombarda, GMA News