Have you ever tried to put yourself in an imaginary situation that you had no
one in the whole world? Could you imagine your life without your beloved
family, separated from your brothers, sisters or parents? How horrible would be
living without knowledge that somewhere there was a person whom you shared the
same blood with? Imagine for the second that there was someone who shared the
same flesh, the same thought, and the same ancestors with you. Could you live
with the fact that you were separated for decades because of terrible
circumstances?
I couldn't even imagine
how I would feel. But, I read about many cases where people finally found each
other after decades, sometimes after the whole life. In particularly sad cases,
they missed each other in this life, but their children discovered those who
they could have loved the most.
Could
you even imagine?
Could you imagine being
Ann Hunt, the woman adopted and sent to the UK? Or being her sister Elizabeth
Hamel, the USA citizen? They are twin sisters who have reunited after 78 years
they spent apart! It is probably the worst confirmed Guinness World Records
ever!
Could you imagine how
human heart survived a moment when two South Korean sisters Meagan Hughes and
Holly Hoyle O'Brien, both inhabitants of USA after they adopted by American
families, found each other? And found out that both of them worked on the same
floor at the same hospital in Florida! And didn't know they even had a sister!
Could you imagine the
real story which was even more unexpected and inexplicable? Well, I want to tell
you one of these stories that shook me to the depths of my soul. It is the tale
that only life can organize. Don’t cry! Fortunately, this is a story with the
very, very happy end. Although, in real terms, there is not much luck in lives
of people whose story is more turbulent than any Hollywood movie.
Life
beyond the Hollywood movie
Fifty-one-year-old
Frances Simpson barely remembered her father. There was no information if her
father was dead or alive. What she only prayed for was that he still loved her
after almost half a century since they hugged for the last time.
She
last saw him when she was an only three-years-old girl. After her parents
separated, the father left his little girl because of such unfortunate
circumstances. But, Frances could not forget about her beloved daddy and spent
long thirty-three years of her life trying to find him. And, after all these
years, miracle waited for her. Her friend decided to make research on her
family tree as a surprise. He found Frances's father Tony Macnauton and
discovered that he had got one more daughter, a beautiful girl called Kim.
Frances unexpectedly
realized that somewhere in the world lived her half-sister she never
knew about.
Her
half-sister's name was Kimberley Macnauton. Immediately after this discovery,
Frances looked for Kim up on Facebook. The message she sent was short, full of
fear and the hope for the future. If you think about the entire situation
better, there is no adequate way for this kind of news to be announced
naturally. Therefore she simply wrote: 'This is going to be a bit of a shock.
If you are who I think you are, I think I might be your sister'.
Miracles
are possible – go for them
Thanks
to incredible coincidence, Tony Macnauton, the father of both sisters was sitting
by Kim's side when she got the strange, unexpected message. Kimberley called
Kim was stunned! She wrote the answer back immediately and confirmed that they
were indeed related.
Sisters
exchanged phone numbers, and Frances heard her sister's voice for the first
time in their lives. She was shaken, excited, and with the muted emotions. She
has spoken to her father for the first time since she was three years old! No
one could imagine what was in her soul and what thoughts and emotions
overwhelmed her. I can't even think about it. If I were in her shoes, I would
die immediately!
They
deserved an emotional reunion
They
organized a surprise reunion in Dorset where Frances's father Tony has been
living for years. The entire situation was unbelievable. His elder daughter was
entirely over the moon. She was left breathless and could not find the words to
describe how she felt when she saw her father eyes after more than 48 years. In
the other hand, all the father's dreams came true, thanks to a 21st-century
miracle called social networking site Facebook!
The
father and his elder child spoke to each other for the first time on January
16, 2010. They couldn’t put feelings into words, and they were unable to
describe how they felt at that moment reunited almost a half of a century after
they had seen each other for the last time.
Tony
was shocked after the first talk, but he said that his younger daughter Kim
knew she had a long-lost half-sister. Imagine that shaky moment while he was
sitting right next to Kim wondering if his first daughter Frances wanted to
talk to him at all. After just a minute, the pair was really chatting on the
phone for the first time in both lives! The father and his daughter, for who he
had believed that he would never see again, eventually exchanged their first
words. What a story!
When
the past encounters the future
This
unbelievable story started a long time ago when the Tony Macnauton's
relationship with Frances' mother began to be strained until they finally
decided that their marriage did not work anymore. Tony immensely wanted to take
his daughter with him, but his ex-wife and her family would not allow it.
Everything
was happening in the mid-20th century when the fathers were not the ones who
could keep the children, especially girls. It was a reason why he just left
without her. But, he talked to his younger daughter about her sister and kept
memories of her deep down in the secret part of his heart. This part of the
heart is only known to those who have survived great suffering in their lives.
These people usually reserve a small corner there for those they love the most,
but who are far away from them.
It
turned out that he changed his name for a great reason. None of his intentions
were to escape from Frances, of course. But, distance and life separated them
for the long, long time. Sadly, it lasted too long. During many years, he
worked as a lorry driver and spent his life carrying a torn photography of his
16-month-old baby girl close to his heart. This photograph was the only bright
memory he had of Frances, and he kept it safe for the almost half a century.
Ironically,
Frances had only one ‘black and white’ photograph of her father. The Frances'
photograph, Tony kept near his heart for years, was made from the same roll
film.
Love
is the one that conquers the world
Kim
believes that they were so lucky because Frances wanted to find her dad. It was
the only way for her to meet her sister and to get a whole new family. She
firmly believed that things could have gone wrong if Frances got in contact
with one of her sons who did not know who she was. Fortunately, luck touched
all of them, and everything happened in the best possible way.
Frances
immediately went to Poole to meet her father and see half-sister for the first
time. One of the first news Tony heard was that he became a grandfather and
even great-grandfather a few years ago.
After
an emotional weekend they spent together, all his children and grandchildren
organized a surprise reunion very easy and very fast. It was one of these rare
opportunities for him to leave Poole and take a journey to Shropshire to meet
his extended family. He met his grandchildren Robert (25), Jody (22), Callum
(19), Andrew (17), and Kelvin (15), and his great-granddaughter Jessica (2).
After
the first shock and days full of surprising and new faces, they stayed in daily
contact. Today it seems to them that their ugly past has never existed as if
they have always been together and that they have known each other their whole
lives.
Honestly,
the first thought I had when I saw their common photo was that the father and
the daughter stayed in some cloud or perhaps that they flew somewhere no one
could follow them. It was absolutely marvelous!
Tears
of an old father and the smile of his beloved daughter
Tony
was speechless. He said that he could not describe how he felt at that moment.
Even though they had lost touch, he had never, ever forgotten his daughter
Frances. All in all, the whole story was remarkable. They have each been keeping
precious photographs of the two of them together safe, as the only ones which
exist. Both of them dreamed of being reunited again, and now they have finally
got each other back.
For
her part, a full-time mother Frances was thrilled because she's finally got her
dad back after all these years. She did not see her beloved father after he had
left. When she turned 18, she began searching for him.
She
was looking for him everywhere including the phone books pages, all newspapers
she could find across the country, even electoral rolls. She persistently tried
to track him down, but all her efforts failed because he had changed his name
wanting to make a fresh start. Despite her best attempts she never found him
even though he was living only 200 miles away from her.
When
she started to look for Tony, there was no the Internet, which made her pursuit
so much harder. But, after a while, it was possible for her to try to find him
on social networking site Facebook. Fortunately, Frances managed to make contact
with her half-sister Kim, father’s child from his second marriage. She said
that she was sure as soon as she saw Kim's name. After sending a
straightforward message and getting sister's message back, all their lives
completely changed.
When
life blew their head off
Maybe
you can imagine her filings when she read the answer: 'Do you want to talk to
my dad? He's sitting right next to me'. I can't! It was too emotional, too
awesome, too exciting for people who read this story. For Frances, it was a
real 'turn around'. The primary goal of her life became true! The quest was
completed. They probably started talking, and they haven't stopped since. I
can't imagine it could be different!
For
me as a writer, the most unbelievable thing was the fact that Frances got a lot
of memories of her father even though she was a toddler when he went away. She
remembered him making her a swing and playing the accordion laid back in his
favorite armchair. Unbelievable!
The
time for new memories
Today,
they make new memories. They are discovering all things they have in common.
They share the same sense of humor and love the same dishes and TV shows. They
even visited the same places during their holidays. Unbelievable!
This
family has found the new purpose in life. Frances' children are absolutely
excited and pleased to be able to gather with their granddad. Mother talked
them about her father with love and child excitement, but meeting him was an
entirely different story. They were touched and thrilled to know that they have
a grandfather like every other child.
All
in all, I believe that this family has never thought that their story could
become a significant media sensation. The only thing they wanted was to share
their joy and to give hope to all these people who lost their loved ones.
They
are the real proof that miracles are possible, and that our lives are a miracle
for themselves.
