Diane DiProspero-Cook (left) and Karen Cometa-Zempel Photo: Sam Maller A college professor and her former student were stunned to discover theyre long- lost sisters 30 years after they shared a classroom in upstate New York, they said.
I was overwhelmed and amazed. It was a lifelong dream fulfilled, Diane DiProspero-Cook, 53, told The Post.
DiProspero-Cook remembers Karen Cometa-Zempel, 60 who taught her business preparation class at Bryant and Stratton College was her favorite teacher at the school in 1985.
She always felt an unspoken connection to her, she said.
As a teacher, she was warm, kind and charismatic. For some reason God made me remember her. She always stuck out in my mind, DiProspero-Cook said.
But the women who were both adopted as infants had no clue they were siblings until last month, when the New York State Adoption Registry notified them that they share a biological mom. They both quickly recognized each others names, they said.
My heart skipped a beat. I was so excited. I thought, I know her! We lived parallel lives. Now, we think alike, we have the same mannerisms, DiProspero- Cook told ABC.
The sisters soon learned they had grown up less than 20 miles apart, she said. They both grew up in Italian families, are left-handed and had similar bubbly personalities.
The more we talk, the more we find we have in common, Cometa-Zempel said.
We finish each others sentences!
Both women had requested information about possible relatives from the State Adoption Registry because they were curious about family history and health.
Cometa-Zempel grew up in Henrietta, NY, and DiProspero-Cook grew up less than 20 miles away in Gates, NY, they said.
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