Sixteen-year-old Esther has just come to terms with a life-changing truth about who she is. Esther, who is less than five feet tall, was adopted by Marsha and Al. This amazing couple had already adopted two daughters from China, expanding their family with love and intention. Her stature might be small, but it conceals an impressive narrative. She’s been on an incredible journey to find her family history that ended in an emotional reunion.
Esther’s story started in China, where her birth mother Zanhua made a difficult choice. Zanhua and her husband, Youdong, raised three daughters, including twins Esther and Shuangjie. Zanhua and Youdong acted quickly to separate the twins. They didn’t want to get caught by family planning bureaucrats seeking to impose population control and control their fertility. They brought Shuangjie to the city while hiding Esther with Zanhua’s brother and sister-in-law. Tragically, Shuangjie was lured away from Zanhua on May 30, 2002. Within days in late July, she was allegedly abandoned at the entrance of Shaoyang City’s Qiaotou Bamboo Craft Plant.
Marsha and Al’s home grew in 2002 when they adopted Esther, and expanded three years earlier when they welcomed their first daughter Victoria in 1999. Both employed at Lockheed Martin, the couple had adult children from previous marriages. Alongside the commitment to building the next generation, they continued to save money and plan for a comfortable retirement. Marsha, an extremely devout Christian with plans to be a missionary, started having very disturbing feelings about Esther. She feared that Esther might be suffering in silence from the trauma of being separated from her twin.
Even as Esther got older, doubts about her race and ethnicity constantly plagued her. An acquaintance once posed a poignant question in an email: “Could Esther be the missing twin?” This question would later echo profoundly as Esther would go on to found her search for answers.
“The inflection point was when Marsha realized that the time had come to tell her daughters a big, complicated truth. ‘Girls, there is something I need to share with you,’ Marsha said, revealing the details surrounding Esther’s adoption and hinting at her possible connection to Shuangjie.”
Months later, Esther approached her mother with fear and trembling. “If I tell you something, will you promise not to get angry?” she asked. The truth came to light after months of talks. Finally, a DNA test proved that Esther was, in fact, Shuangjie, the missing twin.
“I know now it’s all true. I really am the missing twin.” – Esther
Meeting her birth family was equally exciting and sad. Zanhua, speaking of her reunion wish for Shuangjie after decades of separation. “If it was possible, we’d want to take her back. I gave birth to her. I still want her, or at least to know where she is,” she stated.
As Marsha grapples with this nuanced reality, she recognizes the sorrow that’s mixed with their happiness. “Still, it gives me pain knowing that my gain was your loss,” she admitted.
The emotional weight of Esther’s story is compounded by the historical context of China’s family planning policies that led to such separations. Zanhua’s statement reaches farther than her individual sorrow. They convey a larger story of the loss shared by many families at that time.
“It’s terrible for twins to be separated,” – Carrie’s text message
Esther’s journey has led her down a path washed over with inquiries related to identity, culture, and where we come from. Her name means “star,” which now stands as a beautiful honorific as she has truly become a guiding light for her new family. Marsha fondly remarked, “Esther’s name means star. She has been a bright star in my life.”
The reunion has begun a new chapter for both families, promising future possibilities of connection and understanding. As they navigate this newfound relationship, they confront the complexities of their shared history shaped by government policies and personal choices.