Long-lost siblings reunite after 73 years apart

Two siblings have reunited after 73 years apart.

Innisfil resident Doug Lewis grew up in Ontario with one sister, or so he thought.

"We knew that there was possibly another child out there from my parents. They did not say that. They did not tell us, but an aunt kind of hinted there might be someone," Lewis says.

In Christmas of 2020, he received an ancestry test as a gift. After getting the results back, Lewis was shocked to find out he had a full biological sister.

"I got a sister! There's the excitement, but at the same time, there's the apprehension, like will she accept me? Will she like me? Will our families get along?" Lewis says.

It turns out she wasn't far away.

His sister, Carol Morellato, lives in Niagara Falls. After a FaceTime call, the siblings decided to meet in-person one month later.

Morellato was put up for adoption as a baby and spent 29 years searching for her biological family.

"I couldn't believe it. I could not believe it. It was unreal, really," Morellato says.

Since then, Lewis and Morellato FaceTime weekly and their children have started spending time together.

"It's incredible really. We've extended our family. We've almost doubled in size," Lewis says.

Lewis says it's been a whirlwind of emotions but feels grateful to have found his sister.

"Now we get to talk about mom and dad and what they did, how they acted, what they liked and didn't like, to make Carol a part of the family and for her to know the heritage that she came from," Lewis says.

This Saturday, Doug and Carol will reunite again with their extended family.