We are all familiar with the saying, that blood is thicker than water. But this proverb is more than just words to a couple from Missouri named Staci and James Maneage.
Their amazing story started when they adopted 10-year-old Elliana from a Chinese orphanage.
James and Staci have been happily married for 23 years and live in the small town of Weldon Spring, Missouri. At the beginning of their relationship, Staci and James were unable to have children of their own. But miraculously, that changed a few years later.
The couple was fortunate to welcome sons Matthew, Kyle, and Andrew into the world. But before their boys were born, James had promised his wife that they’d adopt a child if they could. And Staci never forgot that pledge.
Ever since Staci had become an adult, she thought of adopting a child from China. Then a few years ago, she came in contact with some Hakka people from China. That’s how they met 10-year-old Elliana…
“We knew she was ours right away,” said Staci, as she recalled seeing her would-be daughter for the first time.
The Missouri couple made Elliana feel at home, and soon, she was a part of the Maneage family.
Little did the Maneage family know that their neighbor also adopted a child from China.
When she came to the United States, the Maneages were happy to share a similar experience with Paige and Steve Galbierz. They also adopted a child from China. And as luck had it, they attended the same church.
The Galbierz’s little girl was 7 years old and named Kinley. Like Elliana, Kinley also had a brain disorder.
Although the girls were adopted from different cities, they looked similar, and they got a long like sisters. But in a country with more than 1.4 billion people in it, the odds that they’re both sisters were nearly impossible. Nevertheless, the two families decided to get the girls’ DNA tested.
In a surprising turn, Staci’s hunch was proven correct. Elliana and Kinley were a 99.9% match.
It’s incredible that these two sisters have found each other again!
And it’s especially wonderful that they did so under such circumstances: each by adopted by a family from Missouri with her long-lost sister just around the corner.
Watch the heartwarming story here:
Source: AWM
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