

Episode 1
Season 8 Episode 1 | 45mVideo has Closed Captions
Two of our youngest ever searchers look for birth families on the other side of the world.
A man whose last contact with his father was a phone call from America when he was six and a woman whose life was transported from Bogota to Berkshire when her Colombian birth mother gave her up for adoption.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback

Episode 1
Season 8 Episode 1 | 45mVideo has Closed Captions
A man whose last contact with his father was a phone call from America when he was six and a woman whose life was transported from Bogota to Berkshire when her Colombian birth mother gave her up for adoption.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipFor thousands of people across Britain, someone is missing from their lives.
[man] I'm his son.
I need to be able to say the word "Dad" to him.
[woman] I have to find my brother.
I just can't let it go.
I just can't let him go.
[woman] Three children kept together, and one taken away.
So, where is he?
Finding someone when the trail's gone cold can feel like an impossible task.
But that's where we step in... We've found her.
-No way!
-Yes.
[crying] This is my dream come true.
...offering a last chance to people desperate for help... -[Davina] This is your brother.
-[woman] Wow!
It's not just a little boy in a raincoat, is it?
He's real, he's there.
[Nicky] With searches taking us to surprising places, we've unearthed hidden secrets, solving family mysteries, and finding people that nobody else could trace.
Buongiorno, Silvana.
What about the news that the little baby boy you gave up is now a daughter?
[Davina] Although the answers aren't always what people expect... [woman] Oh, my word!
...we resolve questions that have haunted entire lives.
I only know that she's not dead because of you.
-You do look like Dad.
-Oh, do I?
You do.
This week, two of our youngest-ever searchers, looking for birth family on the other side of the world-- A man whose last contact with his father was a snatched phone call from America when he was 6...
I want to hear him say, "You're my son, and I'm your Dad."
...and a woman whose life was transported from Bogota to Berkshire when her Colombian birth mother had to give her up.
[woman] I was her daughter.
How do you say goodbye, knowing it's forever?
[dramatic music ends] Our first story comes from London, and a man searching for the father he's never met.
[mysterious music playing] [man] I never had anyone I looked up to, that I thought...
I want to be like when I grow up.
And I'm 29, but I need that man in my life.
I need to be able to say the word "Dad" to him.
[seagulls calling] [background chatter, laughter] Pearse Egan lives in London but was born in the Republic of Ireland.
I've been in London two years now, but I grew up in the south part of Dublin, a small, like, sea town called Dun Laoghaire.
Pearse was brought up by his mum, Ann.
My mum was a single mum.
She was amazing.
So, even though I didn't have a Dad, I was really happy.
Ann was always open with Pearse about his father, who she'd met as a teenager whilst working in Manhattan, New York.
She was 17, she was working in a bar, and my dad was the bouncer/ security guard for the bar.
And she told me that she loved him.
There's my Dad.
His full name is Edilson Santos, but my Mum said that people called him Ed or Eddie.
And he was from Brazil.
Shortly after becoming pregnant, Ann made the decision to leave Manhattan and return home to Dublin to have her baby.
With 3,000 miles between them, Ann and Eddie drifted apart, and Ann's life moved on.
This is the one photo I have.
I look the exact same as him.
I have a sort of big head, and his head's quite big as well.
His jaw, his nose, and huge hands.
I have huge hands.
I don't like to admit it, but I do.
It's weird to think that he is out there and that he's my dad but I've not met him.
The first Pearse heard from his dad was when he turned 6 and a birthday card arrived.
"Hi, Pearse, I wish I were over there to celebrate your birthday with you and your mum.
What a coincidence, I was born on the ninth, too.
[crying] That's a nice number.
If your mum lets you write to me a letter and send me some pictures of yours.
Happy 6th birthday.
Love, your Dad, Ed."
He says "love."
He didn't need to say that.
And it just means so much to me.
And he did reach out, and he wanted to be a part of my life.
After receiving the card, Ann arranged for Pearse to speak to his dad.
My mum phoned him on a payphone, and I said to him, "Hi."
And that's when I'd heard his voice, and it was really deep.
And I said to him, "You sent me a birthday card for my 6th birthday, but how come you didn't send one for 3, 4 and 5?"
And I got really upset, and then I kicked my mum, and I ran out of the phone box, and then she ended the phone call.
She was upset because I was upset.
And then that's when my mum cut contact for good.
As he got older, Pearse found it hard not having his father in his life.
In my teens, I thought about my dad a lot.
I was bullied in school, always felt out of place.
The one thing that always made me feel good was that the picture I had of my Dad, I looked the exact same as him, and I just always thought, "Oh.
Oh, I look like you.
I'm so happy that there's someone out there I'm like."
I felt like I belonged, and I felt like I wanted to find him and tell him he made me feel good about myself, without even doing anything.
You know, "Just being you made me feel good about being me."
To try and help her son find his father, Ann rang the club in New York where she and Eddie had worked.
The girl there said he had left the club years previous to that and said that when he left, he was really sick.
The news that Eddie had been ill made Pearse even more determined in his search.
He launched a social media campaign, but despite thousands of shares, the search hit a brick wall.
I need to find him.
I'm scared if anything's happened to him... just not ever getting to see him.
I want to hear him say, "You're my son, and I'm your Dad."
Because then I know that he loved me.
[Nicky] The last known address Pearse had for his Dad was in Manhattan 20 years ago.
But the rumor that Pearse had heard about him was that he'd been ill.
So, that made the search for him even more urgent.
Without Eddie's date of birth, it wasn't going to be easy.
We began by searching through records in America for an Edilson Santos of about the right age-- but drew a blank.
Then we looked again at the birthday card that Edilson sent Pearse, and he mentions that he was born on the ninth of the month, but doesn't specify which month.
Could this tiny clue help crack the search?
We gave this information to an investigator on the ground in the States.
They couldn't find anyone with the exact name Edilson Santos, but there was a definite contender-- a man called Jose Edilson Santos, born on the 9th of January, and still living in New York.
This was our only lead.
So, we wrote to him.
[dramatic music playing] Within days, our phone lit up with messages.
We'd found Pearse's dad.
[sirens] Now aged 62, single and retired, Eddie still lives in New York.
He did have cancer in 2004 but has been in remission for over a decade.
He agreed to meet me to talk about Pearse.
Although they've never met, Pearse's dad has always been a huge figure in his life.
But what about Edilson?
Was it a case of, out of sight, out of mind?
Does this mean as much to him as it does to Pearse?
[buzzer ringing] -[Edilson] Hello?
-Hello, Edilson?
It's Nicky Campbell here.
Hey-- I'm Nicky.
How are you doing?
-Eddie.
-Eddie.
-Okay.
-Yeah, good.
-All right.
-Great to see you.
Alright.
[Nicky] Ah, God, it's cold!
-So, okay.
-[Nicky laughs] [Eddie] Thank you.
So, you got the letter about Pearse.
How are you feeling?
There is no-- no words in the dictionary for-- to describe this.
You know what I mean?
I never lost the hope to having the chance of see him.
And so, I'm so happy, you know what I mean?
So, you were working in nightclubs in the late '80s, and you met Pearse's mother?
Yes.
She was amazing.
I was in love, definitely.
So, what was your reaction when you found out that she was pregnant?
Well, you know, I was surprised, you know, but I was happy.
Oh, my God, I didn't want her to leave.
I really want her to stay with me.
But she missed her mother a lot, and so, nothing I could do.
I wanted her be happy.
I knew she would not be happy if she stayed with me.
So, how long was it before you found out that you had a son?
She had the son, and then she contacted me.
I have a picture.
[laughs] The only one.
Look.
[Nicky] Oh!
[Nicky chuckles] So, his mother sent that to you?
Yes.
Look how good he is.
He got a Yankees hat.
But I show that to all my friends.
I was so proud, you know?
I was so proud.
When Pearse was 6, he remembers you had sent him a birthday card, and he remembers speaking to you on a payphone.
Yeah, I remember.
I really wanted to have contact with him, but his mother didn't want to have contact with me.
I respected that.
Could not force her.
Well, his-- his mother is very supporting.
She knows now he has missed having you in his life so much.
God, I would think about him every day.
In 2004, I had cancer, you know, I did chemotherapy and I have the feeling I will-- I will meet him 'til-- I don't know, before I die, you know what I mean?
You were thinking about that when you were ill?
Yes, yes.
Very much.
I don't know if he's alright, if he's sick, if he's alive, or what happens to him, you know?
If he needs help... Oh, God, I'll do-- I'll do the world, I'll do anything for him.
[cries] I want to just see my son, you know.
This is from him.
[Eddie] My God!
Oh, I cannot read it.
-Do you want me to read it?
-Yes, please.
-Yes?
-I can't.
"Hi, Dad, or Ed, Even though I've never met you, I've thought of you so much throughout my life.
Ann has always been an amazing mum, but I always think what it would have been like to have a Dad around, to play sport with, to help me with bullies at school.
I always felt different.
When I looked at the one picture I have of you, I never felt so bad, because I look exactly like you.
I've been very lucky and very blessed, but the one thing missing is you.
Lots of love, Pearse."
Thank God... All these years, I wish I could be there for him.
Oh, my God!
Oh!
[cries] My son!
God!
He's look like me.
Looks like me.
Oh, my God, I'm gonna meet him.
I can't believe that.
God, I'm so happy.
[Davina] Before we tell Pearse his dad's been found... Our second search comes from Berkshire, and a young woman hoping to find her birth mother, who gave her up in desperate circumstances.
[woman] "One day, a long, long way away, in a beautiful country called Colombia, a baby girl was born.
Her name was Christina Carreño.
She was born by a lady called Encarnación Carreño.
She was taken to an orphanage in Bogota, where she was to be looked after."
One, two, three, four!
Very good, everybody.
27-year-old dance teacher Christina Barlow lives in the Home Counties.
Very good.
Shoulders...
But she was born 5,000 miles away, in Colombia.
She was adopted as a baby and brought to the UK to live with parents Jane and Steve, and later sister Gabriella, also adopted from Colombia.
My childhood was amazing.
I did every activity under the sun.
I did, like, gymnastics, ballet, drama, piano, choir, athletics.
It was full of opportunity.
I think they wanted us to have everything that we wouldn't have had in Colombia.
-[Christina] Hello.
-Hiya.
You all right?
-Yes, thanks.
-Want a cup of tea?
[Christina] Yes, please.
Christina's parents kept home movie footage from when they collected her from an orphanage in the Colombian capital, Bogota.
Long time since I've seen this, actually.
And there we are at the orphanage, waiting for them to bring you in.
Your mum looks a little nervous.
I'm not surprised, she must be.
[talking in baby voice] As a child, I loved the fact that I was adopted.
I felt I had an interesting history.
[chuckles] But in 2011, Christina's adoptive mum, Jane, died after a long illness.
[Christina] My whole world fell apart that day, and there was a huge void in my life.
After experiencing loss, it's made me think about what my birth mother went through losing me.
I just knew I needed to find her.
Christina's adoptive parents had always told her everything they knew about the circumstances surrounding her adoption.
[Steve] They've got people who've got nothing-- shanty areas on the outskirts of the city.
Some of these people had no way of making an income and couldn't afford to feed the children.
All we know for sure is that your mum was a good soul and had your best interest at heart.
[sentimental music playing] Along with the home movie footage, Christina's been able to piece together a picture of her biological mother's life from her parents' scrapbook and her adoption paperwork.
[Christina] I know her name-- Encarnación Carreño.
I know that I had three siblings that were older than me.
I don't know who my father is, what his situation was.
But they said that my siblings had been suffering from malnutrition.
I was put up for adoption because my birth mother didn't feel she could look after me and keep me safe.
The poverty must have been on another level for her to actually think, "No, I can't keep my child."
I was her daughter.
Did she have a chance to speak to me and talk to me and cuddle me?
She made a very selfless decision.
It's so selfless.
Now, with the support of her husband Jeremy, Christina is determined to find her mother, Encarnación.
She made the ultimate sacrifice to give me a better life.
She must have carried that around with her.
I need to know that she's okay and tell her that I had a great life.
It's up to me to reach out to find her.
[Nicky] Christina was just a baby when she was given up for adoption from her birth mother in Bogota, so that had to be our starting point.
Searching in any foreign country can be tough, but in one with such recent upheaval as Colombia, it would be a huge challenge.
[Nicky] When Christina was born in 1990, Colombia was in the middle of a violent civil conflict.
Many children like Christina were given up because of extreme poverty.
Others were orphaned by war.
Some of them were placed in orphanages, and many ended up on the street.
At the time, 1,500 babies like Christina were adopted out of Colombia every year.
So, there was no way we could find her without specialist help.
Working with a charity that reunites adopted Colombian children with their families, we began the search for Christina's birth mother.
But with a population of almost 50 million and no last known address, it was never going to be easy.
However, Christina's adoption papers contained a vital piece of information-- As well as her birth mother's name, they gave a national identity number.
Could this be the key to tracking her down?
Armed with this vital number and estimating a rough year of birth, the Colombian team scoured national records and eventually found a woman of the right name, born in 1953.
This Encarnación Carreño was living in La Mesa, just a couple of hours away from Bogota, and crucially, her ID number matched the one we had.
We contacted Encarnación, and she confirmed that she was Christina's birth mother.
I'm on my way to meet her.
Christina has always known that her birth mother's decision was driven by poverty.
But I wonder if life has got any better since for Encarnación, and how is she feeling now, as after 27 years the daughter she gave up has come looking for her?
I'm being joined by a local English speaker who's going to translate the conversation.
-Hi, I'm Nicky.
-How are you?
-Good.
Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you too.
-It's this way, isn't it?
-[woman] Yes.
-Encarnación?
-[speaking Spanish] Hello, I'm Nicky.
It's very nice to meet you.
Gracias.
-[Nicky] Thank you very much.
-[interpreter] Muchas gracias.
[interpreter] Christina's father.
[Nicky] Christina's father?
[interpreter] Mucho gusto.
Nice to meet you, too.
-[Alcibiades] Sí, señor.
-This is wonderful.
So you-- you've stayed together for many years?
[interpreter speaking Spanish] -Muchos años.
-[Encarnación] Muchos años, sí.
[interpreter laughs] Es maravilloso.
[Nicky] I have-- I have lots to tell you.
Christina is going to be absolutely blown away knowing that she's also gonna meet her father.
Did you think that this would ever happen?
How hard was life then?
No home?
No.
Sí.
Alcibiade, your name wasn't on the paperwork at the time of her birth.
So, you never saw her?
Did you know where she was going?
After it happened, what was it like for you?
Well... [Alcibiade crying] [Alcibiade] Christina wants to say thank you.
She had such a happy childhood, full of love.
[Davina] Before we tell Christina that we've found not just her mother, but her father too...
I'm on my way to see Pearse Egan.
Pearse is desperate to find his father, Eddie Santos, who his mum met whilst working in America.
Pearse has never met his dad.
All he's had to imagine him by is one photograph and the memory of a voice on the phone.
But I'm about to tell him that his dad's been found, and he cannot wait to meet his son.
[upbeat music playing] [ringing] -[Pearse] Hello?
-Hi, Pearse, it's Davina.
-Hi.
Come on up.
-Thank you.
-Hi, Pearse.
-Hi.
-How are you?
-Good, thank you.
Come on in.
Thank you.
-Thanks for the tea.
-You're welcome.
So, you've got a picture, you've heard the voice, but you've never met your dad.
What's that been like?
It is just the one picture, but I've had to imagine me in the picture growing up, swimming, going to school, and I've just kind of put myself there with him.
What do you want from him?
I want a dad.
You know, I want to be able to say to him, "Hi, Dad."
Just... to say the word.
I've never been able to say that to anyone.
Well, you can.
'Cause we've found him.
Oh, you never said... [Davina laughs] [sobs] ...someone like me.
I know I'm crying, but I'm so happy!
Oh, wow!
'Cause I was terrified of finding out bad news.
Well, he was sick.
-He had cancer.
-He was?
Oh my God!
But, actually, he did make a good recovery.
Did he say that he wants to see me?
He'd love to see you.
He is so thrilled that you came to look for him.
-Oh my God!
-[laughs] It feels like it's not real.
Oh... Oh, God!
Wow!
I want to show you something.
[Pearse] Is this something he wrote?
Oh, wow!
Oh... "My dear son, how are you?
Finally, my prayers were answered.
I would think about you every day."
[sniffs] "I knew inside me that I would find you, and I never lost hope.
There are no words to describe my happiness.
Love, your father."
God!
He did want to be in my life.
-That's your dad.
-Oh, my God!
Oh, I'm the exact same.
Look at the nose and everything.
Yeah, everything.
I want to show you this one as well, because he's got a photograph of you.
He kept it.
Oh.
He seems proud as well, you know.
[Davina] Yeah.
[Pearse] It just feels like he always wanted me.
I just wanted him.
He's gonna fly over here.
-Oh, my God!
-Mmm.
Oh, wow!
I'm gonna see him!
Thank you.
[upbeat guitar music playing] 29-year-old Pearse Egan came to us after his search for his dad, Eddie, hit a dead end.
We found Eddie living in America, and today, Pearse is going to meet him for the first time.
I'm nervous, I'm excited.
Today-- it means everything.
My mum texted me, and she said, "Hi, Pearse, I've had you for 29 years, so when you meet your dad for the first time, tell him I thank him from the bottom of my heart for giving me you.
And I hope it goes really well for you."
[Davina] Thank you.
I won't be a min.
-Oh, my goodness!
-Hi.
-[Davina] Are you ready?
-Yes.
[Davina] Aww!
-Let's go.
-Yeah, yeah, ready to go.
[Davina] So, how are you feeling?
It's so overwhelming.
My head is just racing.
It's a lot to take in, isn't it?
It is, yeah.
It means a lot that he wants to see me and he wants to be a part of my life.
That's-- There's nothing else you can ask for.
I'm gonna get it all.
[upbeat music playing] Eddie has made the 3,000-mile trip from New York to meet Pearse.
[Eddie] It's amazing.
It's an amazing feeling.
You know, I'm gonna be able to meet my son.
After all these years, uh, I can't believe this happen.
But I know it will be believable when I hug him.
-Hey!
-Nicky!
How are you doing?
-How are you?
-How are you doing?
-Alright.
-How was your flight?
-It was fine, yeah.
Great.
-Shall we go?
[Davina] Father and son are meeting in a restaurant near Pearse's home.
[Nicky] So, not long now.
How are you feeling?
I cannot wait just for him to say, "Dad."
Just that one word.
-Yeah, just one word.
-"Dad."
"Dad."
That means a lot, you know?
Yes, my son, well, I'm here for you.
You know, that's how it is, you know?
-So, good luck.
-Okay.
Thank you.
Take care.
[Davina] Thank you.
Right, so it's-- it's up here.
I'm gonna say goodbye to you here.
This is where you're gonna meet your Dad.
Good luck.
He's in there.
[sentimental music playing] [Pearse laughs] -What's up, Pearse?
-Hello.
[Eddie crying] -My boy.
-Whoa!
-This is... -[laughs] God, my boy!
I'm so proud of you.
-Oh... -Your mum did a good job.
-[Pearse] Thank you.
-Yeah.
-Let's have a seat.
-Okay.
God, I feel like I'm looking at me.
-We're just... -Yes.
Much older, right?
-Just a little bit older, yeah.
-Yeah, well, a bit older.
I was so scared that something had happened to you when I heard you were sick.
I had cancer.
Yeah, I was in the hospital for a long time.
The doctors told me, "Oh, no, you won't die."
I refused to die.
I want to see my son before I die.
That's really amazing to hear that.
Yeah, I can't believe it.
I still can't believe it.
I'm in shock.
It's amazing to think that this is actually happening.
Like, because all I have of you is the one picture.
Oh, my God!
Anytime I was going through a tough time or I was really sad, I used to look at the picture, and even though you weren't physically there, there were so many times in my life that you were there.
I wanted to say that to you, in case you ever thought that you weren't.
Hurt me not be able to be there for you, you know what I mean?
When the time you needed, well, it's terrible, you know.
You were-- you were with me, in my head.
You were with me.
Yeah.
My son.
I am here for you now.
That's what it is, man.
I want to hear you say, "Dad."
[Pearse] Dad!
[sentimental music playing] I've never, um, said that out loud.
[Eddie] Oh, my God!
First... "my son."
[Eddie] Oh my God!
[groans, laughs] [Pearse] I feel elated.
I feel, like-- just pure happiness.
[Pearse] 'Cause I have a dad, and there's nothing else I can ask for.
And it just feels... incredible.
I have a picture with you wearing this hat.
-Oh!
I'm wearing this!
-[laughs] Yeah, wearing this hat.
Oh, yes.
Look that.
[Eddie] We connected big time.
Big time, I can tell you.
The love I have, I held his hand, and I could feel that flowing through me, you know.
You know, like a father and son.
[Eddie laughs] I've waited a lifetime hoping this to happen, so... We have now-- we have the rest of your life.
-We do.
And I... -You better get used to.
Yeah.
[Pearse] I think we've so much to catch up on.
I have my whole life to hear from him.
And I feel... feel amazing that he wants me to be a part of it.
27-year-old Christina Barlow has been searching for her Colombian birth mother who gave her up for adoption when living in extreme poverty in Bogota.
I'm on my way, not only to tell Christina that her mother's been found, but I also have some huge and unexpected news for her.
This is such an extraordinary turn of events.
Christina has never known anything about her birth father, not even his name.
And now, we've found him, and he's still with her birth mother!
-Hey, Christina.
-Hello, Davina.
-How you doing?
-Good, thanks.
-You alright?
-How are you?
[Davina] Yeah, good, thank you.
-Come on in.
-Ah, thank you.
You had a really happy adoption, didn't you?
Mm.
I did, yeah.
Did you always think about your birth mother, or is it something that's happened more recently?
Since losing my mum, my adoptive mum, it's definitely made me think about my birth mother more.
I started thinking about, what must life have been like for her?
And I don't know anything about my birth father.
I feel the need to know for certain what happened.
Well, you're gonna find out.
'Cause we've found her.
-Really?
-Mm.
-Oh, my God!
-[laughs] -Really?
-Yes.
So, she's still alive?
She's still alive.
-Still in Colombia?
-Yeah.
In a little village about two hours outside of Bogota.
Oh, wow!
Is she okay, or...?
She is okay, but she's had a tough life.
[Christina] Mm.
As you know, you have three siblings.
Um, but there's another piece of information that's quite big...
Right.
...and that is that she's still with your dad.
She's still with him?
Really?
They're a couple together?
Oh, wow!
So, we do know who my dad is.
We do.
Your dad's name is Alcibiades.
[Christina] Wow!
I mean, he's been with her for more than 30 years, and they are both parents to all three children.
Do they want to see me or to meet me?
-They do.
-Do they?
They are so grateful to you for looking for them, because the experience at the hospital was tough, I think, for her.
She held you for a moment, and then you were taken away.
Really?
She didn't get to look after you.
Wow.
She did ask if she could see you one last time, and they said no.
Oh, no!
Your dad never got to see you.
And he's absolutely heartbroken that he didn't get to meet you.
To give your child over, I-- I can't imagine what that must have been like.
Wow.
You know, your parents were particularly pleased to know that you'd had a good life.
Because that was really important to them, that you'd get the life that they weren't able to give you.
Wow.
I've got a picture.
Oh, my gosh!
Wow!
God, my heart's going.
[Christina] That's amazing.
They've written a few words here.
[Davina] This is it translated.
"Dear daughter, Ever since we gave you up, there hasn't been a day that we haven't wondered how you are, what your life is like, and if you are doing well.
And so, we are just counting the days until we see you.
We love you very much."
Aww, that's amazing.
They've thought about me every day, which is lovely.
I just love her already, from reading that letter.
So overwhelmed they're still together.
One month after Christina discovered that we'd not only found her birth mother, but also the birth father she never knew about, she's going to meet her parents.
She's traveled 5,000 miles to Colombia with her husband.
[Christina] Being here in Colombia is wonderful.
Even though I was born here, I still feel like I'm a long way from home.
[Alcibiades speaking Spanish] [Encarnación speaking Spanish] [Christina's husband] She's been anxious.
Today is hugely important for Christina.
She just wants to reassure them that she's alright and that they made the right decision.
Christina's meeting her parents at a hotel in the mountains just outside of La Mesa.
The translator's come along to help.
[Alcibiades] [sentimental music playing] [Christina] I think I'm most nervous about that initial moment.
I'm scared that I won't feel a connection.
But I am so excited to have this opportunity, and I never thought I would.
-[interpreter] Hola.
-Hola.
[Encarnación crying] Hola.
[Alcibiades crying] [Christina crying] I'm very excited to be meeting you.
But thank you for-- for doing that, um, very painful thing, because it's meant that I've had an amazing life.
[Encarnación] [Christina] I feel lots of love towards my birth mother.
I feel like she is a very strong woman.
When my birth father hugged me, I felt just years of pent-up emotion just being released.
[Alcibiades] [Christina] Wow, really?
Thank you.
[Christina] His watch was such a generous, um, gift, because they haven't got a lot.
For me to have that, and to know that he wants me to keep it and take it away with me, um, meant a lot.
[Encarnación] To find them both, and the fact that they're still together is amazing.
[Christina] I feel so much love and happiness and excitement at what the future can hold.
Next time, on Long Lost Family... a woman whose future was shaped by a tragic event... Had that car accident not happened, I would have grown up with my mother in Italy, a completely different life.
...and for the first time, a search of transitioning from male to female, desperate to find her birth mother.
I just hope that she can accept me for who I am now.
But there's a risk she doesn't want to meet me.
[peaceful music playing]
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