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‘I found my long-lost sister’
This week, Facebook turns 20, and love or loathe it, there’s no denying it’s had a huge impact. Here, three readers share their experiences...
ANNETTE YOUNGSON, 58, LIVES IN ADERDEENSHIRE WITH HER HUSBAND MICHAEL, 56. SHE HAS TWO DAUGHTERS.
As soon as I was old enough to understand, my parents told me I was adopted. All they knew was that my biological mum had given me up at birth because she was deaf and had learning difficulties. It was too much for her to care for me and the child she already had– my older brother.
Although I often wondered about my biological family, I didn’t feel the need to search for them until I was married with children. In 2013, I managed to trace my brother, Peter, through the website missingyou.net. When we met, we clicked instantly and he introduced me to our mother, which was lovely, but due to her disability, it was difficult to communicate. I also met my aunt, Jennifer, who said, ‘You have a younger sister.’ Her name was Heather and she’d been given up for adoption, too. It was a huge shock and over the next few years, I tried to find my sister online. I kept hitting a brick wall until my husband Michael said, ‘Why don’t you post something on Facebook?’ I thought it was worth a shot, so I posted a photo of me holding a handwritten note appealing for information. Within hours, the post had been shared hundreds of times and just two days later, I received a message… ‘I think I am the person you are looking for.’ It was Heather! I was completely stunned and before I knew it, we were chatting on the phone. ‘I’m so glad you found me!’ Heather said.
She’d found out about my Facebook post through a family friend. Heather explained that she’d known she was adopted since age 12, but hadn’t tried looking for family because she thought too much time had passed. The following month, Michael and I drove down to meet Heather, who now lived in County Durham, and her partner, Anthony, at a hotel in Yorkshire.
As soon as Heather, now 56, and I saw each other, we hugged and started crying. There was a connection between us, and over the next few hours, we chatted and laughed nonstop. From that moment on, we’d speak on the phone or visit each other as much as we could and Heather met my biological mum and brother, which was special. The three of us siblings have the same dad. Unfortunately he passed away before Heather and I got to meet him. Over the past seven years, Heather, who has three children, and I have been making up for lost time.
I’m so glad I posted on Facebook. Without it, I may never have found Heather and now we can’t imagine our lives without each other.
‘It’s how Imet my husband –
