Grandfather Finds Long, Lost Sister He Never Met
Every time Michael Bedrock peered in his mother’s purse, he noticed a tattered picture of a baby. Growing up, Michael never discovered the identity of that mystery baby nor did he ask. Now as a grandfather of four, not only did he find out that baby was his sister, but he got the surprise of his life when he was able to reunite with her.
Michael Bedrock, 67, and his twin sister Jenny finally discovered the mystery that had been plaguing them their entire lives. When searching through some of their father’s papers Janet came across a birth certificate for a “Linda Bedrock.”
“Linda was born in November 1943 but there was only mum’s name on the certificate,” she said. “The father’s name was listed simply as ‘unknown’.”
The Truth Revealed
Michael and Jenny’s dad, Les, served in World War II. While he was away, Nellie, his wife, had an affair and became pregnant. When Les returned he told her, “It’s me or the baby.”
Nellie chose her husband and gave baby Linda up for adoption. Les’ aunt had a neighbor who lost her baby just after birth. Nellie reluctantly gave away her baby, who was only a few weeks old, to the woman who so desperately wanted a child.
“It was all done by letter,” Janet said. “Linda was still only a couple of weeks old when my mum, gran and the baby went to the Midlands.”
Janet knew how much her mother loved children and imagined how heartbroken the adoption must have made her feel. The pain made her carry around her precious baby’s photograph in her purse for the rest of her life.
“It was picture of a baby and I’d see it whenever she opened her purse,” Janet said. “Of course, I never thought to ask back then who it was.”
Michael added: “My mum loved kids. To give a child up, as far as my mum was concerned, was worse than killing a child.”
A charity organization connected Michael and Janet with their long-lost sister. Once baby Linda was adopted, her name changed to Brenda Sibtain.
Michael and Brenda connected immediately as if they had known each other forever.
“When I spoke to her for the first time it was like we’d never lost touch,” he said “We’ve all got the same idiosyncrasies.
Michael added that Brenda has his mother’s mannerisms and a clever sense of humor that both inherited from her as well.
Brenda, now a mother of two adopted children, discovered she was adopted at age 17. She was sensitive to the situation and never pressed to find her birth parents. She was concerned about upsetting her adoptive parents.
But as Brenda grew, she longed for the companionship of family. She did not know any of her blood relatives.
“As the years went on I’d think: ‘I have no-one in this world who is my flesh and blood’,” she said.
“Now I’m not alone anymore.”