- A routine blood test revealed Hillie could not be biologically related to both of her parents, sparking decades of unanswered questions
- At 61, a DNA test uncovered the identity of her biological father and led her to a half-sister in the Netherlands she never knew existed
- The sisters formed an instant bond and spent 14 precious months together before Lia’s death, giving Hillie both the answers and family connection she’d spent a lifetime searching for
Here Hillie Moot, 63, shares her own story in her own words.
Growing up, my sisters teased me for looking different. They had dark hair and eyes, while I was blonde with blue eyes.
‘I just look like Mum,’ I said, shrugging it off.
Born in the Netherlands, the fourth of seven children, my family emigrated in 1979 to New Zealand, when I was 16.
My dad, Piet, was a fitter and welder, while my mum, Rie, looked after us kids.
It was a busy household but filled with love.
At 20, I met David, an electrician, then aged 22. Two years later, in 1985, we married, and went on to have three children – Daniel in 1987, Rachel a year later, and Joshua in 1990.
At 28, after suffering a prolapse, I needed a hysterectomy, so my family had blood tests in case I needed a transfusion. A nurse came into my room looking confused.
‘Hillie, your blood type isn’t compatible with either of your parents,’ she said gently. ‘Either your mother or your father isn’t your biological parent.’
Shocked, I asked my parents, but they refused to discuss it. As I looked nothing like Dad, I figured Mum had had an affair.
I tried to move on, but the questions never left me.
My children all grew up, and in 2021 Mum passed away, taking her secret with her to her grave.
Then Daniel’s wife Suzy gave me an Ancestry DNA kit for Christmas. But it took me years to muster the courage to use it.
The results showed there were hundreds of DNA matches in the Netherlands.
‘I’ve got no idea where to begin,’ I said to David.
Thankfully, he and Joshua threw themselves into the search to uncover my history. They traced records, posted online and even hired a private investigator in the Netherlands.
Finally, on August 14, 2024, at age 61, I learned the identity of my biological father. He was a man named Marius – and he’d never been a stranger at all. He’d been our neighbour.
Tragically, he’d died years earlier in a road accident.
‘I’ll never meet him now,’ I sobbed to David.
READ MORE: DNA shock – 50 years to find my SECRET family!
But there was another surprise. I had two half-sisters. Sadly, one, Susanne, had recently died from lung cancer at 73. But the other, Lia, then 71, was still alive.
I stared at her phone number for hours before finally working up the courage to call. When she answered, my heart raced.
‘You don’t know me,’ I said nervously. ‘But I think you’re my half-sister.’
After I explained everything, there was a pause. I was worried until she exclaimed, ‘I’m so glad you found me!’
She told me our families had once been close before mine suddenly moved away before I was born. She’d never understood why until now.
From our very first conversation, we couldn’t stop talking, and the timing couldn’t have been better.
Lia had lost Susanne just two years earlier and, only weeks before my call, her beloved dog, Lieske, had died too. She’d never had children and lived alone, battling COPD, relying on an oxygen mask every day.
Hearing I had three children and five grandkids, Lia was overjoyed.
‘I always wanted children,’ she smiled. ‘Now I have yours.’
Every day – sometimes twice – we’d spend hours on FaceTime. We laughed, finished each other’s sentences, and marvelled at how alike we looked.
‘You’re like two little girls who’ve finally found each other,’ David laughed.
Then one day Lia showed me something incredible. ‘I found a photo of you with Dad,’ she said.
It showed baby me sitting on Marius’ lap. On the back someone had written Hillie.
READ MORE: A DNA test found my girl’s sperm donor, then he became my soulmate!
‘I always wondered who Hillie was,’ Lia told me. ‘And now I know.’
Seeing me with my genetic dad took my breath away.
After six months of daily calls, I couldn’t wait any longer to meet Lia and, in March 2025, David and I flew to the Netherlands.
Lia was waiting at the airport in her wheelchair. We burst into tears and hugged like we’d known each other forever.
At her home, I laughed when I saw she’d printed my photos onto her pillow. She even wore a locket with my picture inside.
We packed years of memories into every day, visiting villages, admiring windmills, and playing card games into the night.
When it was time to leave, we couldn’t bear to say goodbye, so arranged for Lia to fly home with us. Despite concerns about her health, she made the journey.
At Christchurch Airport, my family was waiting wearing bright orange – the colour of the Netherlands – holding a huge WELCOME LIA! banner.
‘So good to see you, Aunty Lia!’ cried Daniel, 39, Rachel, 38, and Joshua, 36, hugging her.
She burst into tears.
‘No-one’s ever called me Aunty before,’ she cried.
Watching her become part of our family was pure joy. And she loved telling me how much I reminded her of our dad.
‘You walk like him, talk like him and you’re just as messy!’ she’d laugh.
READ MORE: ‘Are we sisters?’ The DNA test that exposed a family secret
Something else happened too. In the Netherlands she’d depended on oxygen and could barely walk. In New Zealand, Lia rarely needed it. She travelled around with us, embraced family celebrations, and especially loved getting to know my grandkids.
The six-week visit stretched into six months, but then suddenly Lia’s health declined.
On October 7, 2025, from her bed, she smiled at me and squeezed my hand.
‘I love you, Lia,’ I whispered through tears.
Hours later, surrounded by all of us, my beautiful sister passed away in my home, aged 73.
Losing Lia broke my heart. Her headstone here in Christchurch will be carved from basalt with a hole through the centre to represent the space she left.
We only had 14 months together but, in that precious time, I found not only the truth about where I came from, I also found a loving sister and a beautiful best friend.
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