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In 2004, on a return journey from France, I sat with a work colleague and discovered that she had been adopted when she was three months old. She'd had her adoption file for 20 years.
In January 2005 I watched an advert for Genes Reunited on television and registered my family on line. A week into my registration I took the name of my friend's real mother and put her on my family tree. She became my sister.
I immediately searched related family trees and found her mother. She had been included in the family trees of three GR members. After consultation with my friend I sent a carefully worded e mail to one of the three members and waited to see if she answered. There was no reply.
Had she received it and intentionally not replied? Had she changed her e mail address and it was sitting in cyber space? I consulted with the staff at GR and they suggested I try each one individually.
I tried the next family member called Jason - and waited. Still no reply. Finally on 23rd February 2005 I contacted the final tree member.
On February 26th 2005 I came home from work to find 3 e mails waiting for me from 2 of the GR members I had contacted! I phoned my friend and opened and read the first one to her. It asked for her surname! As we discussed how best to reply I remembered there were other emails to open and, as she sat at home, I read out the words she' d waited 20 years to hear .. 'my mother had a baby Linda in November 1963 .... gave her up for adoption...... we have been searching for her for four years ..if your friend is Linda please contact us".
In hopeful anticipation of this occurring I had taken a photo of her and I now placed it on my website under her mother's name. So her relations could immediately see what she looked like. I wrote a painstaking and emotional e mail detailing her name and family information The following day I spoke with one of her sisters on the phone and asked if they had any info about her father (his surname was Smith!)
Forty hours after that first e mail I sat her down at my computer and showed her pictures of her mother and family. And the info her sister came back to me with that day enabled her that same night to find information about her father. He'd been a boxer. I was given his professional name and some of her friends researched him that evening and found his photographs online!
The information gained online enabled me to write to the professional boxing board and make quiet enquires into his whereabouts. When he found out, he immediately contacted me, discovered why I had wanted to find him and immediately asked to meet his daughter.
He met her family shortly afterwards and I am thrilled to say that he has been a regular visitor ever since. As far as her Grandchildren are concerned he is, and has always been, a regular part of their lives. And her daughters have always called him 'Grandad'.
My friend exchanged phone calls with her mother and sisters. They have exchanged e mails, letters and photos. They have met a number of times now and keep in regular contact.
There were three GR members searching for my friend. Two of those members have now found their sister. Sadly, their brother Jason died without meeting her. His illness marked the beginning of their 4 year search for their lost sister. I sent one of my e mails to him asking for his help.
I dedicate my search - and find - to him.
Thank you for an emotional journey.
Diane Rapa
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