'They Laughed the Same'

Aug. 24, 2006 — -- After adopting a beautiful girl from China last year, Diana Ramirez was eager to share her joy on a Web site for parents who had gone through international adoptions.

Ramirez soon began swapping photos and information online with another mother, whose adoption story seemed to mirror her own. Holly Funk of Lyons, Ill., also had a 3-year-old daughter from China, and curiously, both girls had been given the same name by their adoptive parents: Mia.

They began to wonder if the two were twins.

"I got a feeling like, well, this is strange," said Ramirez, who lives with her husband, Carlos, and two sons in Pembroke Pines, Fla. "Could it be? Could it not be?"

The two mothers eventually learned that their daughters had been abandoned one week apart on the same block in the Chinese city of Yangzhou. DNA testing confirmed their suspicions: The girls are likely fraternal twins, as the DNA analysis established an 85 percent probability that the two Mias are at least half sisters.

"God is definitely still in the business of creating miracles," Ramirez said.

Funk said she and her husband, Douglas, initially wanted to adopt twins, but their request could not be met. When they left China with only one child, she felt a twinge of regret.

"I had that nagging feeling one was left behind," said Funk. "I would pray for the one left behind."

Playful Reunion

The Ramirezes and the Funks decided to bring the toddlers together, in a meeting that held surprises for the parents.

After a few tentative moments, the two sisters -- in matching outfits -- walked hand-in-hand during a reunion at Chicago's O'Hare Airport on Friday. At the Funks' home, they played "kitchen" and dug around together in a sandbox, and their similarities were immediately apparent.

"They cried the same, they laughed the same. They were quiet around strangers the same," Funk said.

These girls are part of a growing number of Chinese children being adopted by U.S. families. Immigration officials issued more than 7,900 visas to Chinese orphans in 2005, up from nearly 4,700 in 2001.

With that surge, there has also been an increase in Web sites aimed at uniting adoptees. Some of the sites allow users to search according to the child's country, city and the orphanage of origin.

The Funks and Ramirezes found success on those sites but do not have plans to permanently unite their daughters.

For now, Mia Ramirez will continue to live in Florida and Mia Funk in Illinois, but their new families have promised to stay in close contact. Another reunion is planned for October in Miami.