A woman has finally been reunited with the daughter she put up for adoption 80 years ago during World War II. Gerda Cole was an 18-year-old Jewish refugee in England to escape persecution in her native country, Austria, when her newborn daughter was born in 1942. Due to her situation and the conditions of the war, she was advised to have the baby adopted.
After the war, Gerda moved to Canada, where she went on to earn three college degrees, but she had no contact with her daughter, Sonya Grist, until last year. That’s when Sonya’s son, Stephen, discovered his mother’s mother was 97 and living in Canada. When she found out the good news, Sonya wanted to go meet her mom in person and plans to make that a reality were set in motion.
It all finally came together over the weekend at Gerda’s long-term care home. The mother and daughter held onto each other during their emotional reunion that was 80 years in the making. Not only was it Mother’s Day weekend, it also happened to be Gerda’s 98th birthday, making it all the more special. “When I heard, I just couldn't believe it," the grateful mother says. "This must be … a miracle. It means so much to be able to live to see this moment.”
Source: CBC