Lecture Notes: The Quest to Find a Birthday Twin

Introduction

• Presenter: Max Fosh
• Objective: To find and meet people born in the same hospital on the same day as the presenter, 3rd April 1995, for a birthday reunion.
• Location: St Thomas's Hospital

Backstory

• Initial Attempts:
  • Consultation with mother, no leads.
  • Attempted to access hospital records, led to being kicked out.
  • Shifted strategy to social media.
  • Media appearances on large UK radio shows to spread the story.

Key Developments

• Andrew's Suggestion:

  • Idea to explore birth announcements in newspapers.
  • Visited Andrew’s warehouse in Kent, significant archive of newspapers.
  • Found Lily Rose Hunter’s birth announcement in the Daily Telegraph.

• Search for Lily Hunter:

  • Common name problem: many Lily Hunters globally.
  • Extensive search on social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter).
  • Compiled a comprehensive list of potential candidates.

Creative Strategies

• Billboards:

  • Concept of moving billboards across London to attract attention.
  • Numerous calls resulted, but none matched the specific criteria.

• International Search:

  • Continued search during stand-up tours in Australia and New Zealand.
  • No success from international search.

Breakthrough

• Spreadsheet Discovery:
  • Late-night discovery of a potential match on LinkedIn.
  • Correlation in education history and timeline.
  • Contacted via email, received out-of-office reply with a phone number.

Conclusion

• Contact and Confirmation:
  • Successfully contacted Lily Hunter.
  • Confirmed birth details: same hospital and date.
  • Officially invited her to the birthday reunion.

The Birthday Reunion

• Preparation:

  • Organized a birthday party with decorations and food.
  • Waited anxiously for Lily's arrival.

• Outcome:

  • Lily Hunter arrived at the reunion.
  • Shared personal stories and confirmed shared birth details.
  • Enjoyed the celebration with party snacks and punch.

Key Takeaways

• Importance of persistence and creativity in achieving goals.
• The potential for social media and traditional media collaborations to aid search endeavors.
• The joy and surprise of finding connections in unexpected places.