Matt
Imagine that you have a twin on the other side of the world who is a total stranger to you. This is the case for two brothers, George Skrzynecky and Lucian Poznanski, who lived their entire lives separated from each other. The BBC filmed a documentary about their emotional reunion!
The twin brothers are originally from Germany and were born in 1946 to a Polish mother. Elizabeth, a young woman who had been liberated from a forced labor camp at the end of World War II, gave birth to her twins and fell ill. Unable to take care of them, she abandoned the babies… It’s a heartbreaking story for the family.
At 17 years old, George comes across the adoption papers.
It was George who first discovered the existence of his twin brother. He was only 17 years old when he learned the news. In the 1960s, he reportedly asked the Red Cross to help him find his brother, but all his attempts were in vain. He then decided to move to the United States. “All my life, I just wanted to know my family,” George said, thinking he would never find his brother. Lucian, on the other hand, discovered information about his biological mother much later. He was 60 years old when he learned he had a twin brother. In turn, Lucian contacted the Red Cross, which was finally able to locate George through a program to reunite families separated by war.
It was an emotional meeting that marked the beginning of a very close relationship!
Naturally, George was thrilled to learn that his brother was alive and also wanted to meet him. After a separation that lasted 68 years, the 69-year-old twin brothers finally met at Warsaw airport in Poland.
On that day, George said he couldn’t wait to hug his brother. With tears in his eyes and a bouquet of flowers in hand, Lucian approached his brother to offer him a long embrace. Their two wives were also emotional to meet for the first time. At that moment, George hoped it was the beginning of a very close relationship with his twin brother.
Finally, the video of their reunion went viral with over 9 million views. This experience allowed the two men to obtain specific information about their biological parents. According to the Red Cross, their father was reportedly an American soldier who returned to the United States after their birth. Their mother Elizabeth, on the other hand, reportedly tried to find them but was unsuccessful.
Do twins separated at birth still look alike?
Nancy L. Segal, a psychology professor and director of the Twin Studies Center at California State University, conducted research on twins separated at birth. In one of her articles, she described the differences observed after the reunions of identical twins. Despite growing up on different continents, significant similarities were found between the two women. For example, one of them was convinced, following a medical diagnosis, that she had a hoarse voice because she screamed a lot during her childhood. It took meeting her professional singer sister to realize that her doctor’s diagnosis was completely wrong. It was actually related to genetic factors, as both twins had a hoarse voice. However, despite the striking physical similarities between the twins, the psychologist also mentions differences related to a lack of opportunities or a completely different educational experience. As a result, during their first meeting, the two twins experienced a mix of emotions. But both were aware of their differences. According to the psychologist, the reunions of separated twins are experienced differently. Depending on their emotional expressiveness, some twins may be more demonstrative and emotionally affected, while others may have more moderate reactions.
