A NATIVE American who now calls Cumbria her home will meet her sister - 65 years after they were separated when she was just ten days old.

Sarah Demick, who comes from the Ojibwa tribe in Toronto, Canada, was fostered in 1958 as her mother was struggling to cope with raising her and her older sister on her own.

She went to London-born foster parents and now lives in Rusland, near Ulverston.

While she is not the first member of the tribe to be adopted, she thinks she is the only Native Canadian to have travelled as far as England. 

The Mail: Sarah in traditional dress associated with her tribeSarah in traditional dress associated with her tribe (Image: Submitted)

It was not until 1985 that she met her mother Nora Migwans. She took a photo moments after they first met when she visited the reservation on Manitoulin Island, which is in the north of Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. 

When Sarah spoke to this publication previously she said that her mother worked as a domestic helper on the reservation. After the article in 2010 she only had 'little contact' with her until her death in August 2013.

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She has never met her 68-year-old sister Christine Migwans, known as Tina, face to face. However, she did find out that she lived in Hammond, Indiana and they have been in touch on Facebook. 

The Mail: Sarah did not meet her mother until 1985 and has never met her sister face-to-faceSarah did not meet her mother until 1985 and has never met her sister face-to-face (Image: Sarah Demick)

To Sarah's surprise and delight, she got a message from Tina to say that she would arrive at Manchester Airport on October 16. Tina will stay with Sarah in Ulverston for three days to 'catch up on a whole lifetime.' 

Sarah said: "I am excited but it's kind of weird as well to be meeting somebody who is your sister but you don't know them. I don't really know her full story."

This is not the first time Sarah has tried to meet one of her siblings. Only recently, she and Tina discovered that they have another sister called Lisa who lives in Florida. She came to the UK to meet Sarah but Sarah caught Covid and there was a train strike that prevented them from meeting. Sarah says that it is 'unlikely' there will be another opportunity to meet her. 

 

The Mail: Sarah will finally meet her sister on October 16Sarah will finally meet her sister on October 16 (Image: Submitted)

The sisters also have one brother - but none of them know what has happened to him.

Despite finding out so much about her family history, Sarah admits that ultimately, due to her upbringing, she is 'very English really.'