The sisters, Brittanny Bigley and Amanda Stiles, said they never gave up hope that they’d find each other one day-
‘Our future is bright’
The following written family by Cortney Moore
Two sisters who said they were separated as children and reunited more than two decades later are hoping to inspire others to not give up hope.
Brittanny Bigley, 31, and Amanda Stiles, 29, said they entered foster care when they were infants. They eventually lost touch in 1993 when Bigley’s biological father gained custody over her and their foster family legally adopted Stiles.
Both sisters said they went on to grow up knowing they had a sibling, but several obstacles stood in the way of their reunion, including limited information from the closed adoption, a legal name change, growing up in different states and the death of Bigley’s father.
“There were several times throughout my early adult life I felt defeated and like I’d hit dead ends,” Bigley told FOX News in an email interview. “Over time, I received more information and I’d become hopeful again, but it typically wouldn’t amount to being enough of a lead.”
Bigley said her luck changed when she shared a video on social media detailing her search for her sister. An ex-girlfriend of her father saw the clip and volunteered to help. She worked in the foster care system and was able to pull some strings to provide Bigley the missing piece of the puzzle – her sister’s new surname.
It didn’t take long for Bigley to find Stiles on Facebook. But, she approached with caution because she wasn’t sure if Stiles knew she was adopted.
Bigley said she got the confirmation she needed when she messaged Stiles and asked if she had a sister named Brittanny. It turned out Stiles and her mother had been searching for Bigley on a yearly basis but weren’t able to find answers on her whereabouts.
The pair reconnected online and spoke regularly for a year before they met in person in March 2017.
Bigley, her daughter and her best friend, traveled to California from Saratoga Springs, Utah, to meet Stiles and her boyfriend. Read more from F.N.
Subscribe here
Another amazing sibling reunion:
