Fate works in different ways. For this story, two ladies met each other while working in a bar. The two immediately hit it off because of their similarities and became instant best friends.
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But little did these two women know that their instant connection comes from a deeper connection. Years after their first meeting, they finally find out the truth and their friendship is taken to a whole new level.
Meet Julia and Cassandra
Julia Tinetti had been working as a hostess for the Russian Lady, a local bar in New Haven, Connecticut. Then, 18 months after Julia was hired, a new girl, Cassandra Madison, was hired.
Source: Opera News
At first, the two did not mind each other – it was a popular bar and the staff was often too busy to talk to each other during their shift. Most of the time, the staff would be too tired to do some bonding once the bar closes.
Matching tattoos
But one day, Julia noticed a tattoo on Cassandra’s left arm when she passed by. It was not a generic tattoo that most people would get so she was surprised. The surprise stemmed more from the fact that Julia had the exact tattoo only it was on her back.
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The tattoo was the Dominican Republic flag. Usually, when one gets a tattoo of a flag, it is to show off what country they come from. Or to mark a special trip. For Julia, she got the Dominican Republic flag as a tattoo because this is where she came from.
More coincidences
Julia waited for Cassandra to pass her again before she brought it up. Once she did, Julia stopped her to ask if she was from the Dominican Republic and pointed at her tattoo. Cassandra replied that she was.
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Then, she added an information that gave Julia goosebumps. Cassandra came from the Dominican Republic but she was raised in the USA because she was adopted. Julia was surprised because she was also adopted. What were the odds?
An instant connection
When the restaurant was not busy, Julia found Cassandra and the two talked about their unlikely similarities. Both of them have been adopted by single moms. They started comparing childhoods, the experience of being adopted and growing up in a foreign country.
Source: Mamas Uncut
The two clearly hit it off. They were able to relate with each other over things that they could not do with their friends. Soon enough, a special bond started to grow between the two. They often had to be separated when they were on the same shift because they were too much.
Twinning moments
Soon enough, people started noticing how similar the two looked. They did not only have the same features but they also had similar voices and they both have the same mannerisms. Comments were made not only from their coworkers but also from customers. The two got a hit out of it and sometimes dressed up similarly and show up in twinning outfits.
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The two looked so alike that they could fool people into thinking that they were actual sisters and they get a blast out of it every time they find a new victim. They even got a shirt that says “I’m the big sister” and “I’, the little sister.” The two have a one-year age gap, Cassandra being the older one.
Are they sisters?
Given that the two did look alike, were both adopted, and came from the same country, it was pretty obvious to think that they may be related. The possibility crossed Julia’s and Cassandra’s minds as well.
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But when they compared their adoption papers, the information on them just did not match. They had different last names, different mothers, and were adopted in different cities. So, the two best friends just forgot about the possibility and thought that everything was just a strange coincidence.
Cassandra moves away
Julia and Cassandra had been inseparable for two years when Cassandra decided to move to Virginia Beach, Virginia, with her boyfriend. The two promised to stay in touch and they did remain close despite living in different states.
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It was a 1-hour flight away or an 8-hour drive away from New Haven, Connecticut plus there were social media so she and Julia had no problems staying in touch with each other. So, they visited each other and constantly communicated online throughout the years.
Cassandra’s search for her biological family
Five years after Julia and Cassandra first met, Cassandra, decided that she wanted to meet her biological family. Cassandra’s mom was very supportive and even got Cassandra a 23andMe DNA genetic testing kit The 23andMe DNA test would give Cassandra more information about her genetic background and could connect her to her biological relatives if they are in the database.
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After doing the test, Cassandra found that she had various blood relatives in the 23andMe database. One of these relatives was a first cousin, who also happened to be in the USA, and Cassandra was able to contact him and get to know him better.
Meeting her father
Of course, their conversation eventually brought them to Cassandra’s biological parents. The cousin’s mother happened to know Cassandra’s biological father, Adriano Luna Collado and gave her a contact number. The cousin told her that Adriano was still in the Dominican Republic. However, her biological mother had passed away just 3 years ago.
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Although heartbroken that she will never get the chance to meet her biological mother, Cassandra still felt excited for the chance to meet her biological father. So, Cassandra made plans to travel all the way to the Dominican Republic to meet him and her seven siblings in person.
Finding out the truth
Adriano was excited to be reunited with the daughter that they had to give up for adoption. He shared to Cassandra that at the time she was born, she had a brother who was very sick at the time so they did not have the means to raise her. It was a heartbreaking decision but it was also the way to secure a good future for her.
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Cassandra suddenly thought to ask if there was another sister put up for adoption. Adriano confirmed that they did have another baby 17 months earlier who they also had to give up because of their financial status.
Julia and Molly
Cassandra was determined to find this mystery sister. Julia was updated when it came to Cassandra’s search for her biological family. While Cassandra was going all out for a family reunion, Julia had no interest in looking for her biological family. For her, the love of her adoptive family was enough and she would like to leave things at that.
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When Cassandra mentioned that she had a mysterious sister who was also given away for adoption, Julia thought of her childhood friend, Molly Sapadin. Julia and Molly’s adoptive mothers were good friends so the two girls grew up together when they were kids. Could Molly be the missing piece? What are the odds of that happening?
Unexpected results
Julia connected Molly and Cassandra and the two compared their adoption papers. To everyone’s surprise, the information matched! Molly and Cassandra had the same last name and the same mother! To be sure, Molly took the 23andMe test, too.
Source: Mamas Uncut
However, when Molly took the DNA test, the results were not as expected. Cassandra was already in the 23andMe database but they did not match as sisters. Their DNA samples were analyzed and compared and when the 23andMe database revealed they matched, it was as third cousins.
Back to Julia
The two did not expect this twist. They were sisters on paper but the DNA test revealed the truth that they were cousins all along. Although Cassandra and Molly were still glad that they were biologically related, there was still the identity of Cassandra’s real sister to be solved.
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It was then that Molly thought of something. What if there was a mixup in their adoption papers? It was not impossible. She suddenly thought of Julia. Molly knew for a fact that Julia was adopted on the same day that she was. Could it be that their adoptive mothers adopted them at the same time and the agency mixed up their papers?
Cassandra forces Julia to take the DNA test
The only way to know for sure was to make Julia take the 23andMe DNA test. Inspired by the possibility that they may be real sisters, Cassandra made the effort of doing the 8-hour drive from Virginia to Connecticut to give Julia a 23andMe DNA test kit and force her to take the test.
Source: Cassandra Raquel Madison Facebook Page
Julia had to be forced to take the test. Now that Cassandra was there in the flesh, it was hard to say no to her best friend. So she begrudgingly took the test. Cassandra was even the one to drop it off at the post office.
The results reveal the truth
The two then waited for the results to come in. It usually takes a few months to get DNA test results but because everything is high-tech now and 23andMe comes with an app where every progress of the test is being updated, the results came in less than a month. When Julia saw her matches, she could not believe their eyes.
Source: Good Morning America
Two matches popped up on Julia’s 23andMe account and one of them was Cassandra – who was listed as her sister! All this time, their hunch was spot on. Had it not been for the mix-up on their adoption papers, they would have long been reunited as sisters!
A change in perspective
Julia was at first reluctant to meet her biological family but this DNA test confirming that Cassandra was her sister all this time changed her perception. The two ended up video calling their biological dad who was overjoyed at the news that Cassandra found his other daughter and that they knew each other all this time.
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Cassandra and Julia shared their story on TikTok and it immediately got a lot of attention and went viral. It did not take long for different media outlets to reach out to the two sisters and interview them about their unique adoption story and reunion.
A deeper connection
In an interview with News 8, Cassandra shared that she immediately hit it off with Julia and they were talking non-stop on their first conversation. It was one of those friendships where you click instantly with the other person and you feel comfortable right away. It turns out there was another reason for their instant connection!
Source: Julz Tinetti Facebook Page
Julia, on the other hand, said that her instant closeness to Cassandra when they first met just felt like a natural thing. Although they did have a hunch that they were sisters at first, their adoption papers immediately ended that idea. However, genes don’t lie!
Planned reunion
Now that Julia was able to see her biological father, she was now willing to meet the rest of the family as Cassandra did. However, a trip to the Dominican Republic was a very expensive one and she did not have the funds to make it.
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Because of this, Cassandra created a GoFundMe to raise funds so that Cassandra and Julia can fly out together to meet their biological relatives. Although the fundraiser helped, unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic happened so the reunion had to be delayed.
A story of hope
There is no doubt that this is one of the most unique adoptions and reunion stories that we have heard of. Imagine the joy of finding out that your best friend is your sister all along! There is no awkwardness in rediscovering each other and getting to know each other – just pure joy.
Source: Womans World
According to Julia, the most touching aspect of their story being shared is that a lot of adopted people have reached out to them and told them that their story has given them hope that they will also be able to find their own biological family.
