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A pair of Eileen McLaughlins, born on the same day a few miles apart in Brooklyn, discovered each other last week - and learned that not only do their dads and kids also share birthdays, but they have led eerily similar lives from Day One, right down to their profession, choice of husband and penchant for a particular TV psychic.
"It's mind-boggling that Eileen Mary's life has so closely paralleled mine," Eileen Teresa McLaughlin said. "I called my mother and asked her, 'Are you sure I don't have a twin?' "
Yesterday, they met for the first time - at the Kings Plaza Diner, a place both women favored as kids when they shopped - separately, of course - at the popular Kings Plaza Mall.
"I was overwhelmed - she's so beau tiful," Eileen Teresa McLaughlin ex claimed. "I felt like I knew her all my life."
Eileen Mary McLaughlin enthusiastically agreed.
"Same here - as soon as I saw her, I knew it was Eileen Teresa," she said. "It was like seeing an old friend."
The ladies' incredible tale began on Dec. 6, 1960, when both were born in Brooklyn.
Eileen Teresa's dad, Eugene, had been born 32 years earlier on Nov. 12; Eileen Mary's dad, Edward, 25 years earlier, also on Nov. 12.
In 1974, Eileen Mary got her Social Security card. A few months later, on April Fool's Day, Eileen Teresa got hers - bearing the exact same number. The women would share those nine digits for the next 22 years without anyone taking note.
In 1977, Eileen Mary married a carpet layer born Aug. 24, 1956. Eileen Teresa was wed four years later to a carpenter born Aug. 21, 1956.
In 1982, Eileen Teresa became a registered nurse before moving to Monmouth County, N.J. That same year, her first child, Lauren, was born on Valentine's Day. Eileen Mary's first and only child, Tommy, had been born on Valentine's Day four years earlier.
In 1990, Eileen Mary also entered the health-care field, as a medical technician in Canarsie.
Their husbands, both of whom had drinking problems, abandoned their wives during the '90s and remain deadbeat dads to this day, the Eileens said.
Eileen Teresa first became aware of Eileen Mary in 1996, when, after ordering her own credit report, she realized half of it belonged to someone else. She went to the Social Security office, where a staffer discovered the identical numbers and promptly issued Eileen Teresa a new one.
But the confusion didn't end there.
Three weeks ago, Eileen Mary realized that for years she had been receiving Eileen Teresa's annual Social Security statement. So she went to her local Social Security office to straighten things out.
Only after a week of discussions did the office realize its mistake and begin rectifying the Eileens' accounts.
Eileen Mary finally called Eileen Teresa last week to ask if she was aware of the bureaucratic foul-up, and it wasn't long before the myriad coincidences emerged.
The women said they now look forward to celebrating their shared birthday this Wednesday. And finally, they are catching up on their oddly parallel lives, swapping stories and photos about their kids and families - and vowing to stay in touch for the rest of their lives. 
That's one weird set of coincidences!
The social security number is obviously an administrative mistake and not a coincidence but the chances of the rest must be minute!
The social security number is obviously an administrative mistake and not a coincidence but the chances of the rest must be minute!
Thats quite eerie actually.
I am in kind of a similar situation, me and my freind have the same first name, were born on the same day in the same hour next to each other, and live in the same town. our parents only met in the hospital after we were both born.
I am in kind of a similar situation, me and my freind have the same first name, were born on the same day in the same hour next to each other, and live in the same town. our parents only met in the hospital after we were both born.
It was in Fortean Times too, I believe. Need to finish reading this months issue actually...
A pair of Eileen McLaughlins, born on the same day a few miles apart in Brooklyn, discovered each other last week - and learned that not only do their dads and kids also share birthdays, but they have led eerily similar lives from Day One, right down to their profession, choice of husband and penchant for a particular TV psychic.
"It's mind-boggling that Eileen Mary's life has so closely paralleled mine," Eileen Teresa McLaughlin said. "I called my mother and asked her, 'Are you sure I don't have a twin?' "
Yesterday, they met for the first time - at the Kings Plaza Diner, a place both women favored as kids when they shopped - separately, of course - at the popular Kings Plaza Mall.
"I was overwhelmed - she's so beau tiful," Eileen Teresa McLaughlin ex claimed. "I felt like I knew her all my life."
Eileen Mary McLaughlin enthusiastically agreed.
"Same here - as soon as I saw her, I knew it was Eileen Teresa," she said. "It was like seeing an old friend."
The ladies' incredible tale began on Dec. 6, 1960, when both were born in Brooklyn.
Eileen Teresa's dad, Eugene, had been born 32 years earlier on Nov. 12; Eileen Mary's dad, Edward, 25 years earlier, also on Nov. 12.
In 1974, Eileen Mary got her Social Security card. A few months later, on April Fool's Day, Eileen Teresa got hers - bearing the exact same number. The women would share those nine digits for the next 22 years without anyone taking note.
In 1977, Eileen Mary married a carpet layer born Aug. 24, 1956. Eileen Teresa was wed four years later to a carpenter born Aug. 21, 1956.
In 1982, Eileen Teresa became a registered nurse before moving to Monmouth County, N.J. That same year, her first child, Lauren, was born on Valentine's Day. Eileen Mary's first and only child, Tommy, had been born on Valentine's Day four years earlier.
In 1990, Eileen Mary also entered the health-care field, as a medical technician in Canarsie.
Their husbands, both of whom had drinking problems, abandoned their wives during the '90s and remain deadbeat dads to this day, the Eileens said.
Eileen Teresa first became aware of Eileen Mary in 1996, when, after ordering her own credit report, she realized half of it belonged to someone else. She went to the Social Security office, where a staffer discovered the identical numbers and promptly issued Eileen Teresa a new one.
But the confusion didn't end there.
Three weeks ago, Eileen Mary realized that for years she had been receiving Eileen Teresa's annual Social Security statement. So she went to her local Social Security office to straighten things out.
Only after a week of discussions did the office realize its mistake and begin rectifying the Eileens' accounts.
Eileen Mary finally called Eileen Teresa last week to ask if she was aware of the bureaucratic foul-up, and it wasn't long before the myriad coincidences emerged.
The women said they now look forward to celebrating their shared birthday this Wednesday. And finally, they are catching up on their oddly parallel lives, swapping stories and photos about their kids and families - and vowing to stay in touch for the rest of their lives.