Sisters finally meet after decades-long search | 24CA News

Tuesday night, 59-year-old Denise Wildeman was standing on the worldwide arrival gates of the Edmonton International Airport, making an attempt to regulate her respiratory.

“I’m so antsy.”

When Denise’s sister, 41-year-old Heather Cintron, walked out of the doorways and into Denise’s arms, tears had been flowing instantly.

“18 years, I looked for you and I didn’t stop,” Denise advised her sister.

The assembly was so emotional as a result of, despite the fact that they’re sisters — that is first time they’ve ever met in particular person and it’s been a long time within the making.

Denise Wildeman is from Edmonton whereas Heather Cintron lives greater than 4,000 kilometres away in Florida. The ladies share the identical dad, who they mentioned had not less than six youngsters.

“Our father liked the name ‘dad’ but not the responsibilities that went along with it.”

Denise was born in 1964, and grew up in New Brunswick.

Denise’s mother died when she was simply 12 years previous and he or she didn’t know a lot about her father. She didn’t meet him till she was a lot older and had two children of her personal.

After her dad handed away within the early Nineteen Nineties, Denise realized she had a half-sister who lived within the United States.

Heather was born in 1982 and was 12 on the time Denise first tried to make contact. Both raised by single mothers, Denise felt an on the spot connection to her youthful sibling. She reached out, solely to be pushed away.

“Finding out her mother wouldn’t let anyone in my father’s side of the family to see her, including my father,” Denise mentioned.

“It was just me and my mom all the time,” Heather mentioned.

Denise gave Heather her e-mail and advised her she would by no means change it. But Heather forgot the e-mail over time and Denise couldn’t get in contact. They misplaced monitor of one another for 18 years.

One day, Denise determined to Google Heather and the outcomes got here up together with her married final identify. Denise then searched on Facebook and knew it was her sister.

“I saw her face and I started crying and I said that’s her,” Denise mentioned.

She reached out once more — this time, with extra success.

“We FaceTimed. Oh my goodness, we cried so much,” Heather mentioned.

“It almost felt like a piece of me was missing because this is what I had always longed for.”

The pair mentioned they discuss each day, and might’t consider the similarities they share. They love purple, carrying a number of Pandora bracelets directly, and in addition watching baseball collectively.

The connection feels much more particular, Heather mentioned, as her mother died a number of years in the past, and he or she doesn’t have any relations on her mother’s aspect nonetheless alive.

“It means the world to think you’re not the only one anymore — you have somebody else,” Heather mentioned.

While she is in Edmonton, Denise will introduce Heather to her sons and plans to take her across the metropolis.

They hope Denise can go to Heather in Florida and meet her husband and children there.

“We’re not alone,” Heather mentioned.

The two hope their story conjures up others to by no means hand over searching for a mother or father, little one or sibling.

“Have hope, keep on looking because you never know.”

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