WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Twins from Winter Haven will appear in the new season of TLC’s “Long Lost Family,” a docu-series which will feature their search for their birth mother.
- Winter Haven Twins will appear in TLC's "Long Lost Family"
- The twins had a wonderful childhood but always felt a void
- AncestryDNA was a gamechanger in their search
- More Polk County stories
“I can’t thank her enough, because it’s been an emotional roller coaster to say the least,” said Kathleen Clevenger.
The twins said they loved their adoptive parents and had a wonderful childhood, but they always felt a void.
“I really needed to know who they were. Who our mother and biological father were,” said Kim Norfleet, who had started searching before her sister, at age 14.
Clevenger said she didn’t start searching for her birth parents until after her adoptive mother died, as she didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
Their search proved difficult, especially in the early days without the internet widely available. They kept hitting roadblocks.
“Because we were born in New York, the laws are strict up there and everything is sealed and you can't touch anything and can only get basic information,” Clevenger said.
Their adoptive mom told them their biological mother gave them up when she was 16. With the help of the show, they were able to get paperwork that said something completely different.
“We found out she was 23, and he was 29. Then we got scared. Then we kept reading and learned she was divorced and had two small children and she couldn’t. It said that our father had left once he found out she was pregnant with us. That was hurtful,” the twins said, finishing each other’s sentences.
They said the show also gave them access to AncestryDNA, which really was a game changer.
Due to non-disclosure agreements, the twins couldn’t say whether they got to meet their mom. That will be revealed in the show “Long Lost Family,” which airs Friday, Oct. 25, at 10 p.m. on TLC.
