She Spent Her Life Believing Her Mother Died in WWII | DNA Family Secrets

[00:00:05]Many of us have questions about who we really are.

[00:00:11][music] >> It feels like a mystery that we're trying to solve.

[00:00:15]>> There's a power of me missing.

[00:00:18]>> Night and day [music] questioning who am I?

[00:00:21]>> Wouldn't it be amazing at my age to find out?

[00:00:26]Now, amazing [music] advances in DNA technology means questions can be answered for the very [music] first time.

[00:00:34]>> So, with any luck, somebody will have taken a DNA test.

[00:00:40]A wrong was done to [music] her. It is my duty to make right what she couldn't.

[00:00:46]>> This is the perfect time for the secret to end.

[00:00:53]Working with [music] leads in geneticists and genealogologists, we're going to help people unlock lifechanging secrets.

[00:01:02]>> So DNA [music] is really the only way that we can go >> through the power of a DNA test.

[00:01:09]>> The things you can do now.

[00:01:11]>> Our DNA [music] doesn't lie.

[00:01:14]>> So we have your results back.

[00:01:17]>> But are we ready [music] for the truth?

[00:01:37]In the last 50 years, the number [music] of single parent households in the UK has almost quadrupled to 23%.

[00:01:48]>> [music] >> 43-year-old Sarah has never [music] met her dad and is hoping it's not too late.

[00:02:07]Hey, >> good morning Sarah. How are you? I'm good. How are you? Nice to meet you.

[00:02:12]Likewise. So nice to see you.

[00:02:18]Why don't we start with you telling me what you're trying to find out? Why do you want to take a DNA test?

[00:02:24]>> Um, just to know who my dad is cuz I don't know who he is.

[00:02:29]>> So, how is it that you don't know um much about your dad?

[00:02:34]>> Um, so before I was born, he wasn't around.

[00:02:38]>> He was in the US Army, so he was based in the UK.

[00:02:41]>> So, he's American but [music] was based here.

[00:02:44]>> Yeah. My mom went to a party I used to have on the bases [music] and then she got pregnant with me and then she told him and he wasn't really interested.

[00:02:55]He just wasn't too keen so I just left it and just did [music] it by herself >> and she brought you up on her own.

[00:03:05]>> Superwoman.

[00:03:07]>> Did your mom know that you were looking for your dad?

[00:03:09]>> Yes. [music] Yeah. Yeah. She said to me before if you want to try and find him that's fine. like here's his name. Um, here's the picture. Um, well, she didn't have any more information. [music] >> And what does your mom say about your dad?

[00:03:22]>> She doesn't really say much. Um, maybe it's a bit [music] too painful for her to to say more. So, I don't really cry or try and get any more out of her.

[00:03:30][music] >> How old were you when you realized actually dad isn't on the scene?

[00:03:38]I think I was always aware like he wasn't there towards like mid20s.

[00:03:42][music] I kind of started thinking about it more before then cuz I was competing. I was doing athletics like your mind's kind of focused on going to competitions and train like getting through training. So it wasn't the right time for me to try and find him.

[00:04:00]>> Tell me about your relationship with [music] athletics. school sports days always win all the races and the competitions.

[00:04:07]>> Your mom must have been bursting with pride.

[00:04:09]>> Yeah, definitely.

[00:04:10]>> That's my girl.

[00:04:11]>> Yeah, [laughter] she was definitely proud >> from when I was small doing sports. I just felt free just running and [music] it just felt effortless.

[00:04:27]I was doing competitions and I was improving every time.

[00:04:32]But I always say to my mom that I want to go to the Olympics.

[00:04:37]I always watch on TV all the time. All those top top athletes and I was going to be one of them as well.

[00:04:46][music] I qualified for the Olympics in Athens. I'd never experienced anything [music] like that before. I went out in the heats of the hurdles. [cheering] So when it came to Beijing in 2008, I was calm.

[00:05:00]I was like, I know what [music] the deal is now. I know what to expect.

[00:05:05]And I made the final in 100 m hurdles.

[00:05:09]That was amazing.

[00:05:12]>> You've achieved so much.

[00:05:14]>> Yes. That was kind of That was amazing.

[00:05:17]>> And when you're experiencing these magic moments, >> is there a part of you that's thinking, I wonder if my dad knows what I'm capable of? like what I've achieved.

[00:05:30]>> Yeah, definitely. So, sometimes wonder like like is he proud? But I guess it's all like a mystery >> at the moment.

[00:05:40]>> That must be scary trying to find someone when they said at the start of your life that they didn't want to be involved.

[00:05:48]>> Oh, yeah. For sure. Like it is it's scary just like I'd get in contact like, "Yeah, I'm I'm I don't want to have any contact with you.

[00:06:00]or maybe things have changed for him. We might want to to know like >> because his circumstances might have changed.

[00:06:06]>> Yeah, exactly.

[00:06:08]>> And I think it's really important that we never pass [music] judgment because we don't know >> what his situation looked like. And this was, you know, over 40 years ago.

[00:06:21]>> And you know what? We will do everything we can to [music] try and figure it all out. Thank you very much.

[00:06:34]Sarah's traveling to the University of Leicester to meet Professor Chury King, one of the country's leading geneticists.

[00:06:43]She's hoping that by analyzing her [music] DNA, Chur and the team will be able to help find her father.

[00:06:50]>> Hello. Come sit down.

[00:06:55]>> It's lovely to meet you. Nice to meet you, too.

[00:06:57]>> So, how can I help you? What would you like to know?

[00:07:00]>> I want to uh try and find my dad.

[00:07:02]>> Mhm. So, what do you know about your biological father?

[00:07:07]>> So, all I have is his name, Tikico Phillips. I know he was in the US Army based in Suffukk in the ' 70s, like late '7s.

[00:07:15]>> Yeah. And he's from the States. That's all I know.

[00:07:18]>> So, you've got a name. That's really useful. though obviously one of the things we have to bear in mind is that somebody might have changed their name or that kind of thing.

[00:07:26]>> So what we're going to be doing is we're going to take your DNA and what we're looking for is people who share a high number of centorans with you. So centmorgans fancy term for a genetic unit of measurement. So that might be an aunt or a cousin or a second cousin that kind of thing. And then from that we can build family trees and then see if we can hone in on who your biological father might be.

[00:07:53]>> Um, obviously with my background like in in athletics, I just wonder like where where did it come from to be able to run fast?

[00:08:00]>> Okay, so we know already that there seem to be a number of genes that seem to be associated with athletic ability.

[00:08:06]Whether or not you're more likely to have more fast twitch muscles versus slow twitch. Whether or not you're going to be more explosive energy, more endurance. Okay.

[00:08:16]>> But one thing I can really say is genetics is only just a a part of the picture.

[00:08:22]>> Yeah.

[00:08:23]>> You know, no matter what your genetic makeup is, if you're sitting on the sofa eating donuts all day, you're not running anywhere very [laughter] quickly.

[00:08:31]>> So, it's a combination. It's genetics and environment. It's you.

[00:08:36]>> So, you're an Olympic athlete. you clearly have a lot of mental strength to be able to achieve what you've done >> with um athletic I can like control before a race like I know what I need to do but with this it's just I'm not in control when I'm on the track I'm in warrior mode almost [music] whereas this is completely different.

[00:09:01]Yeah, I do feel vulnerable.

[00:09:03]>> You're doing something quite courageous because you're opening a door.

[00:09:06]>> Yeah. And I think that's the scary part as well. not knowing what's going to be on the other side of that door.

[00:09:12]>> So, to start you [music] on this journey, >> I need some of your spit.

[00:09:17]>> Okay, [laughter] it's >> a strange thing. I ask a lot of people for this.

[00:09:22]>> Saliva is one of the most common ways to test our [music] DNA as it contains cells carrying our genetic code.

[00:09:30]>> Now, it feels real. It hit home.

[00:09:33]>> It's actually going to happen.

[00:09:38]Tury and the team will analyze [music] Sarah's DNA and compare it to over 30 million people already on [music] worldwide databases.

[00:09:49]while [music] counselors and social workers will prepare Sarah for whatever the team may find.

[00:10:12]91year-old Jean [music] was evacuated in World War II. She never saw her mother again and was told that [music] she died before the war ended.

[00:10:23]She now wants to find out [music] if this is true.

[00:10:42]>> Hi, it's lovely to meet you. Do you look beautiful?

[00:10:50]Ah, lovely.

[00:10:52]>> Two te's. [music] >> Thank you.

[00:10:55]>> Why can't I have a big cup? [laughter] >> I've got the fancy one. Yeah. Yeah. I've got the fancy one.

[00:11:04]>> Sugene, what is it that that you're trying [music] to find out?

[00:11:07]I would really like to know whether my mother actually did die during the war as I was told when I was a child or did she live on and have another family and another life.

[00:11:23]>> But that's a wild thought, isn't it, Jean? The [music] idea that your mother may not have been killed.

[00:11:30]>> Looking back, nobody had ever shown me a grave.

[00:11:36]Had the family lied to me all these years? Has my father lied to me?

[00:11:42]>> And why would [music] they?

[00:11:44]>> This is what I don't know.

[00:11:47]>> So, take me right back, Jean. So, you were an evacuee? [music] >> Yes, we were evacuated, my sister and I, just as the war started at the beginning of September [music] 1939.

[00:12:01]I was seven.

[00:12:07]We got on a train from Manchester.

[00:12:09][music] Hadn't been on many trains, but I didn't have a clue where I was going.

[00:12:20]My mother told me I was only going for one day, so I wouldn't panic cuz she knew that it was going to be longer.

[00:12:30]Within 48 hours of war, a million children were miles away from their homes in the comparative safety of the country.

[00:12:40]I was taken to a family called Mr. and Mrs. Benson and were left there to be looked after.

[00:12:50]But I wanted to go home to my mother.

[00:12:55]How did the conversation go when someone sat you down and said, "Look, we need to talk about your mom."

[00:13:00]>> Must have been about 1941.

[00:13:03]I can remember Mrs. Benson said, "Your daddy's asked me [music] to tell you that your mommy's died."

[00:13:14]And I believed it cuz the grownup had told [music] me that.

[00:13:23]Okay.

[00:13:26]>> I got the idea that the house had been bombed and my mommy had died. So I just believed and I continued [music] to believe that because nobody told me anything different.

[00:13:44]>> And then what did your dad say when you saw him? [music] >> Didn't say anything.

[00:13:47]>> That's bonkers.

[00:13:49]He got married again [music] and we were left with his sisters and nobody ever mentioned my mother's name to me ever.

[00:14:03]>> When did you start doubting what you'd been told as a kid? [music] for an auntie's birthday present. The family took me to see the evacuee memorial and it was very very emotional. It really was. And then Kevin mentioned that [music] he was going to Manchester and >> [music] >> um I said to him, "Well, would you see where my house used to be?" And I was [music] totally amazed when Kevin rang me and he said, "Mom, your house hasn't been bombed.

[00:14:43]>> It's still standing.

[00:14:44]>> Your house is there. It's a [music] complete road of houses.

[00:14:52]I have lived my whole life believing [music] the story that I was told. But if the house wasn't bombed, where did my mother go?

[00:15:04]There must have been times where you've thought, if my mom didn't [music] die, how was it for her not being able to see her two girls? There are so many unanswered questions. [music] I think it's time I knew the truth.

[00:15:27]Jean is visiting Churi to see [music] if testing her DNA will help discover what really happened to her mom.

[00:15:38]>> Okay, >> you ready?

[00:15:39]>> Yeah.

[00:15:45]>> It is so lovely to meet you.

[00:15:47]>> And it's very lovely to meet you as well. So, how can I help you?

[00:15:53]Well, my question is true.

[00:15:56]What happened to my mother?

[00:15:59]I thought that during the war she was bombed. I never questioned what happened to her until I got to be 90 years old.

[00:16:10]If she didn't die, [clears throat] what happened? So, we know that there were 70,000 UK civilians killed >> during the war. So it could be that your mom was one of those.

[00:16:25]>> Yeah.

[00:16:27]>> And then the other thing is that this was a period of just huge upheaval for families. We know that in 1939 the divorce rate was about 8,000.

[00:16:39]By 1947, so just 2 years after the war, it's 60,000.

[00:16:45]>> Yeah. [snorts] And the way DNA would help would be if your mom left, >> did she have another family?

[00:16:55]And if she did have children, have they taken a DNA test?

[00:17:01]>> So, we'll do the DNA analysis, but we will also do all of the records as well and see what we can [music] find for you.

[00:17:11]>> Whatever you can find out would mean [music] everything.

[00:17:15]Um, if she did survive, I would like to think that [music] she was happy.

[00:17:24]But at the back of her mind, did she ever think about me?

[00:17:31]Did she remember me?

[00:17:34]>> I'd like to [music] think she did.

[00:17:42]The best hope of discovering if Gene [music] was lied to about her mother's death is looking for any family matches on the worldwide databases.

[00:17:56]>> [music] >> It's been 4 months since former Olympic athlete Sarah [music] took a DNA test to try and find her father, who returned [music] to America before she was born.

[00:18:09]>> Here we are then. Wow. [laughter] >> While she waits to find out [music] what Chi and the team have discovered, Sarah's visiting John, who ran her old athletics club.

[00:18:21]>> I remember the first time I uh I met you. Yeah.

[00:18:25]>> And the school had rung to say that you were they thought they got a good athlete >> and I said, "Well, well, what do you what do you want to do with the athletics?" And I can remember saying, "Ah, I really want I really got to compete in the Olympics. That's what I'm going to do." And for somebody that age, I never heard anybody say that before.

[00:18:42][laughter] >> I am really grateful cuz like you you took me to like competitions and do training and Yeah. So, it was a lot of help, >> but it was always a pleasure because you were always so grateful. So after all this time, I was quite a surprise of you. You were going to do this. What What are you hoping for? What you sort of expecting really?

[00:19:01]>> Well, I'm hoping that they find him >> and I'm able to speak to him maybe or see a picture of how he is now.

[00:19:08]>> So after all this, it'd be a bit disappointing.

[00:19:10]>> Yeah.

[00:19:10]>> Nothing nothing happened as a result of it, wouldn't it?

[00:19:13]>> Yeah, definitely. But I prepared myself for that as well.

[00:19:15]>> I just want to >> know that he's a real person. He actually existed. or just to get like my ancestry as well like where where we're from.

[00:19:24]>> You have no idea.

[00:19:25]>> Yeah, this is you really you've always had determination to do things even when things are a bit difficult.

[00:19:32]>> Definitely as the results gets closer.

[00:19:35]>> Yeah, >> it's getting real. If >> you don't find it, you're always part of our family anyway.

[00:19:39]>> Exactly. Yeah, I have my >> I think I was drawn to sport because I just love doing it.

[00:20:00]On the start line, you don't really want anything else to distract you cuz the race is so short.

[00:20:06]It's like 12 seconds and it's done.

[00:20:12]Sometimes I've also wondered if my dad is watching me like wondering her name sounds for [music] me like it rings a bell maybe or there's a resemblance has he thought [music] oh I have a daughter out there somewhere that that could be her.

[00:20:26]I'm just hoping that we find my dad.

[00:20:35]But then if we find him, what if he hasn't changed his mind? He still [music] doesn't want to to know me.

[00:20:56]Sarah's returning to see Chury, hoping she'll be able to give her more [music] information about her father.

[00:21:04]Hello. Come on in.

[00:21:06]>> Hi. How are you?

[00:21:08]>> Okay.

[00:21:10]So, when you first came, you wanted to find out about who your biological father was cuz you didn't have very much information.

[00:21:19]>> Yeah. Just the name. Tikico Phillips.

[00:21:21]>> Tiko Phillips.

[00:21:22]>> We got you to take a DNA test looking for where you were getting matches. So, we started by putting your mother's matches to one side, >> and that tells us about your biological father's side.

[00:21:39]>> And you had a few matches, kind of a second, third cousin level, >> right?

[00:21:47]>> We started building a family tree.

[00:21:51]>> Mhm.

[00:21:52]>> Because we could see that these people are related. These people are related.

[00:21:57]And slowly it allows us to kind of bring it back. So [music] these people are all descended from this particular couple >> and it [music] means you are descended from this particular couple.

[00:22:14]>> Wow.

[00:22:15]>> And [music] these couple was living in Virginia in the 1800s.

[00:22:23]>> I'm going to draw you a family tree now.

[00:22:27]So these are your great [music] grandparents.

[00:22:30]>> Okay.

[00:22:31]>> So we have got Joseph and he married Key West Kofi.

[00:22:40]>> Great names. Really great names that we're getting [music] in this tree.

[00:22:44]>> Now they had a daughter and she has a [music] son.

[00:22:56]It's your biological father.

[00:23:01]>> So there's you.

[00:23:08]>> Now we found he actually has a different name, [music] but he goes in the records sometimes.

[00:23:16]Okay.

[00:23:17]>> As Tiko Phillip. [music] >> Okay.

[00:23:20]>> A nickname, I imagine.

[00:23:22]>> Yeah. He was born in 1953.

[00:23:26]>> Okay.

[00:23:27]>> And can see in the records that he had a military [music] career.

[00:23:33]>> Yes.

[00:23:34]>> He's alive and well.

[00:23:40]>> Mhm.

[00:23:49]>> [snorts] [snorts] >> How are you doing?

[00:24:03]>> Okay.

[00:24:05]>> So, this is where the DNA has taken us to.

[00:24:09]And I know in a few minutes [snorts] you're going to go and see Stacy and she's got some more information for you.

[00:24:16]Okay, there you are. That's you [music] in that family tree.

[00:24:24]>> Yes. Amazing. Thank you so much.

[00:24:26]>> You're welcome.

[00:24:39]Sarah, [laughter] >> how how are you feeling? Try and describe >> overwhelmed.

[00:24:48]Yeah. Just seeing all of this.

[00:24:52]>> Yeah. I suppose today is the first day >> in your life that you've been able to say categorically, I know who my dad is.

[00:25:01]>> Yeah. to know he's actually out there.

[00:25:03]Yeah, it's a nice feeling.

[00:25:06]>> Oh, we got some more news for you. We've been in touch with your dad.

[00:25:10]>> Wow.

[00:25:14]>> Oh, we don't know if he's responsible for your sporting talent, [music] but >> he's in Florida.

[00:25:18]>> Okay.

[00:25:19]>> Uh-huh.

[00:25:19]>> No way.

[00:25:19]>> Have you been to Florida?

[00:25:20]>> Yeah. Yeah. Like woman for training would go there.

[00:25:23]>> That's where he is.

[00:25:26][laughter] >> No way.

[00:25:29]He sent [music] some bits over.

[00:25:32]>> No way.

[00:25:34]>> And he's asked [music] me to pass them on.

[00:25:40]Okay. So, [sighs and gasps] this is a photo of your father. This would have been in 1972 [music] when he joined the military.

[00:25:48]>> Wow.

[00:25:50]>> Oh, no way.

[00:25:53]You're quite handsome. [music] >> He's so handsome. So handsome.

[00:25:57]>> No way.

[00:26:00]Wow.

[00:26:05]>> No way. That's amazing.

[00:26:07]>> And he actually sent this.

[00:26:12]>> Huh.

[00:26:14]It's like just looking at someone that you know was out there, but now you put a face to the name.

[00:26:22]>> Yeah. That's crazy.

[00:26:24]>> These are obviously a bit more recent.

[00:26:26]He's in his Sunday best year.

[00:26:29]>> Oh wow.

[00:26:30]>> I know.

[00:26:33]>> He's very dapper. [laughter] >> Yeah. It's really exciting news. So I can say like that's my dad >> and I have a name and he's in good shape.

[00:26:43]>> Yeah. [laughter] >> Um >> Wow.

[00:26:46]>> I've got one more thing to give you.

[00:26:47]>> Okay.

[00:26:48]>> Yeah. All right.

[00:26:51]>> So your dad asked me um to hand you this card.

[00:26:57]Oh, we wrote something.

[00:27:05][snorts] It's a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot.

[00:27:13]Oh dear. I rush.

[00:27:21]>> I wasn't expecting that.

[00:27:24][snorts] >> Ready? Mhm.

[00:27:27]Thank you.

[00:27:39]My dearest daughter Sarah, [music] how are you? I hope you are doing well. I've had you in my thoughts and prayers [music] for all of these years.

[00:27:47]Your mother sent me a picture of you when you were around 7 months, and I [snorts] would occasionally look at your picture [music] and wonder if you were well and growing strong. I'm [snorts] sorry for the pain that you have endured for these many years.

[00:28:00]Your [snorts] father with love, peace, and happiness.

[00:28:06][laughter] Wasn't expecting all of all of this. My mom said to me yesterday like, "I hope he's more more [music] open this time."

[00:28:17]And I guess I guess he is.

[00:28:19]>> He would like to to have a conversation with you.

[00:28:21]>> Really?

[00:28:23][laughter] >> Uh-huh.

[00:28:26]>> I'm so excited.

[00:28:27]>> Yeah. Yeah. Good. I'm glad. I'm glad.

[00:28:30]That's the overriding emotion.

[00:28:31]>> Yeah. Yeah. Definitely.

[00:28:33]So excited. I'm looking forward to to actually speaking to him. I don't know what his voice sounds like.

[00:28:41]It's [music] crazy. Congratulations.

[00:28:42]>> Thank you so much.

[00:28:44]>> Thank you.

[00:28:44]>> Pleasure.

[00:28:45]>> I feel warm and fuzzy. [laughter] >> It's amazing.

[00:29:06]Since 1979, over 120,000 children from China have been internationally adopted, and most of them were girls.

[00:29:19]44 yearear-old twins Tanya and Kim are hoping to discover their [music] origins after they were left at an orphanage in neighboring Hong Kong.

[00:29:29]With no information [music] about their parents, they're now hoping DNA will help them discover the truth about their adoption. [music] >> Hello.

[00:29:45]>> Hi.

[00:29:46]>> How are you? Really lovely to meet you.

[00:29:49]Thank you so much for your time. And this is your home, right?

[00:29:52]>> Yes.

[00:29:53]>> Really, really nice place. Quite fancy.

[00:29:55]I'm waiting to get kicked out.

[00:29:56][laughter] >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:29:59]>> Why don't we start from the very top?

[00:30:01]Can you talk me through what it is that you're you're trying to find out?

[00:30:06]>> Growing up, me and my sister, we were told pretty early on that we were adopted because it's kind of obvious.

[00:30:13]My parents were British Caucasian and it's [music] one of those questions that's always been there in the back of my mind is, you know, who am I? Where do I come from?

[00:30:22]>> What do you think your story is?

[00:30:25]>> In Hong Kong, at the time we were adopted was uh democratic. It belonged to the the United Kingdom. And so we don't know the circumstances around why we were given up. Perhaps we had been born in China.

[00:30:43]When Tany and I were born during like the 70s and early 80s, there was a one child policy in China which only allowed for each family to have one child whether it was male or female.

[00:30:57]A lot of families chose to have boys mostly because they were worried about carrying on their family name. So a lot of girls were given up. They were just abandoned.

[00:31:10]>> [music] >> We have kind of a theory that that's maybe what happened to us.

[00:31:21]>> So, you believe there's a possibility that you're born in China?

[00:31:24]>> That could be a strong possibility. I mean, just the fact that there's two of us >> and you know that and we're female, >> it's just kind of a theory that we have, but it's a fairly I'd say it's a fairly good theory.

[00:31:36]>> Yeah.

[00:31:36]>> Yeah. No, [clears throat] it makes perfect sense. So, you were brought up by white British parents.

[00:31:42]>> Did you ever ask your adoptive parents?

[00:31:45]>> Where are we from? What do you know?

[00:31:48]>> I remember asking once that they just didn't know the answers. And back in the kind of 70s and 80s, there wasn't a huge amount of paperwork >> and I'd really like to know geographically where we belong.

[00:32:00]>> We have tried to pursue, you know, other avenues to try to find out this information, but we're literally [music] like hitting a brick wall. Is this something that you've been thinking about for a long time?

[00:32:11]>> For most of my life, you know, you just get on with life and you're busy and you're working and life takes over, but when you know that you've got a phone out your life, your priorities change a little bit, >> right?

[00:32:23]>> You want answers to questions. You want things wrapped up. You know, I just have a question and hope for an answer. And you know, that's the best you can hope for in the universe, really, isn't it?

[00:32:35]You don't always get the answers that you want.

[00:32:37]>> Yeah. We're not in control necessarily, you know.

[00:32:39]>> Yeah.

[00:32:40]>> But that's okay. I think we've accepted that very, very early on. [laughter] >> If we get an answer, we'll get an answer.

[00:32:46]>> There's obviously a sense of urgency now because because you're so poorly.

[00:32:52]>> Solving this mystery is more pressing than ever as Tanya has been diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer.

[00:33:00]This one of those big things in my life that I wanted to get done before I die.

[00:33:12]Tanya's illness means she's not well enough to travel. So's come to London [music] to meet the twins.

[00:33:20]The sisters are hoping DNA analysis will reveal the story as to [music] why they were adopted.

[00:33:29]Hi there.

[00:33:30]>> Hello.

[00:33:30]>> Lovely to meet you. So, how can I help you?

[00:33:33]>> Well, we have some DNA questions.

[00:33:36]>> Okay. It' be kind of nice to know where we come from.

[00:33:40]>> H. So, tell me what you know.

[00:33:43]>> We don't know a huge amount, but we do know that we were put in an orphanage on the border of Hong Kong and China, and that we were adopted when we were 3 years old.

[00:33:52]>> Okay. So, we're really starting from scratch with very little. Mhm.

[00:33:57]>> Now we know with China there's two main things that sort of driven international adoptions is the one child policy and over this entire period of 120,000 Chinese children mostly girls were put up for adoption.

[00:34:16]Obviously your story you are absolutely not alone. We will go two different routes here. So first is DNA. Mhm.

[00:34:25]>> The second is we're going to try and go the paper route, including the adoption support agencies.

[00:34:31]DNA testing for ancestry is something that's not very popular in China. It's a real growth area with so many children having been adopted. They're now reaching adulthood and they want to know. They want to know where they're from. So given everything that you've told me, uh this is going to be a really hard search.

[00:34:54]>> Well, you know, we come into this knowing that there's every possibility that we won't find anything at all.

[00:35:00]>> And you know, we're bad for that possibility.

[00:35:03]>> Yeah.

[00:35:03]>> I think the thing that was more important to us was the journey and being able to do this together.

[00:35:08]>> That's right.

[00:35:09]>> I'm going to be crossing my fingers like you wouldn't believe.

[00:35:13]>> Thank you so much.

[00:35:14]>> Oh, you're welcome.

[00:35:29]Jean is waiting [music] to see if DNA testing will be able to find any other relatives of her mother to show whether she survived after the war.

[00:35:41]>> I don't have any idea of what my mother looked like. [music] I haven't got any photographs at all.

[00:35:51]I always wanted a mother.

[00:35:54]My father didn't have any interest in us.

[00:36:02]I think the [music] one thing that I always wanted was to be the center [music] of somebody's life, to matter to somebody.

[00:36:17]I never felt [music] really safe or happy until I married and [music] had my own home and my children.

[00:36:30]What do you want me to do then?

[00:36:32]>> Can you take some of the heads off those hydrangeas [music] there?

[00:36:35]>> These ones?

[00:36:36]>> Yeah.

[00:36:36]>> Okay.

[00:36:37]>> Yeah.

[00:36:39]>> I think my mom as she's got older, she is reflecting more on the past. She knows that she's 91. She's time is running out.

[00:36:51]And it would be nice hopefully to find out that she was loved. She was thought [music] about and that her mother never forgot them.

[00:37:02]>> Oh, what lovely daffodils.

[00:37:04]>> Yeah, they are, aren't they?

[00:37:06]>> You could have taken the labels off.

[00:37:17]Jean is returning to the University of Leicester to discover if DNA can provide answers about her mother.

[00:37:26]Hello, Jean. Come on in.

[00:37:28]>> Hello.

[00:37:28]>> Come sit down.

[00:37:32]>> It's lovely to see you again.

[00:37:33]>> It's nice to see you again as well. And I brought the sunshine.

[00:37:37]>> You did?

[00:37:38]>> Yeah. [laughter] >> So, when you first came, your question was about what had happened to your mom.

[00:37:48]>> Yes. And that's because you had been evacuated during the war and during the period of the war you had been told that your mom had been killed.

[00:37:59]>> Yes.

[00:38:01]>> So we did take your DNA with the hope of finding somebody that could tell us what happened to your mom.

[00:38:14]And we didn't find anybody matching you.

[00:38:20]But we were not going to just let it sit. Oh, there. We know your mom's name is Alice Ma Moss.

[00:38:29]>> Right.

[00:38:30]>> And [music] we found the marriage record of her marrying your dad, George Hibbert.

[00:38:38]But then we were trying to find [music] a death certificate for an Alice Hibbert and we couldn't find anything.

[00:38:53]So the first thing I can tell you is [music] that your mother was not killed in the war.

[00:39:05]She died in 1958.

[00:39:10]Yeah.

[00:39:14]>> So she didn't die when I was told she [music] died.

[00:39:21]There's more.

[00:39:23]And we could see on the records that [music] Alice married a man called George Was.

[00:39:34]Let me draw you a family tree.

[00:39:39]So this is your mom and that's your dad.

[00:39:45]And this you and your sister.

[00:39:56]Your mom remarried during the war.

[00:40:03]This is George.

[00:40:09]So she did divorce my father. She did.

[00:40:13]They had [music] a daughter.

[00:40:20]Her name was Valerie and that is your half sister. [music] Wow.

[00:40:30]So Valerie passed away in 2017.

[00:40:36]She had [music] two daughters.

[00:40:41]This is Dawn.

[00:40:44]And that's Cheryl.

[00:40:46]And they're alive and well. They're your nieces.

[00:40:50]Oh my gosh.

[00:40:54]Well, I've only got one niece up to [music] now.

[00:41:03]>> And Dawn was really more than happy to [music] take a DNA test.

[00:41:11]The DNA test gave us conclusive evidence as [music] to what had happened to your mom.

[00:41:20][snorts] I can't believe that after everything you just said.

[00:41:23]>> Yeah.

[00:41:26]I [music] have in my mind then a picture of the [music] marriage failing. Perhaps she'd met somebody else. And it's one I I [music] hope I'm right. He said, "Well, you can go, but you're not having the girls."

[00:41:47]>> Uh that is just the feeling I've got.

[00:41:49][music] >> And it was it's a question, isn't it?

[00:41:52]You wondered about did she, you know, she did leave.

[00:41:55]>> She did leave.

[00:41:56]>> And [music] did she go on to have a happy life? And it seems that she did.

[00:42:00]>> Yeah. I I I hope she did.

[00:42:04]>> That's [music] a big sigh of relief.

[00:42:08]Yes.

[00:42:09]Yeah, that's [music] lovely. Thank you.

[00:42:12]Thank you.

[00:42:24][sighs] >> All right, Jane.

[00:42:26]>> Yes, I'm fine, thank you.

[00:42:28]>> Yes, >> I'm very happy with what I have found out. I am so very, very grateful.

[00:42:35]>> Total pleasure. So you feel content?

[00:42:38]>> Yeah.

[00:42:40]>> Is there anything else that could sort of top this off for you?

[00:42:43]>> Yes. Being able to perhaps ring a half niece or something.

[00:42:49]>> That's right. You got two nieces.

[00:42:52]>> Which, you know, I think that's probably entirely possible because [music] we've been in touch with Cheryl and and Dawn.

[00:42:59]>> Yeah.

[00:43:00]>> And they are thrilled. They can't believe >> they really >> they got you as a Yeah. new family member.

[00:43:10]>> Wow. [laughter] >> They told a really beautiful [music] story actually that there was a photo in your mother's [music] bedroom and whenever anyone would say who's who are these two girls she would say they're two very very special little [music] girls.

[00:43:34]And >> that photo was with her until [music] the day she died.

[00:43:37]>> So she didn't forget us.

[00:43:41]>> It's [music] become apparent that your mom never ever ever forgot about her two girls.

[00:43:47]>> Oh, that was what you hoped, >> wasn't it?

[00:43:50]>> Yeah.

[00:43:53]>> I've also um got some photos that I'd like to share with you.

[00:43:56]>> Oh, lovely. Oh, I'd love to see Yeah.

[00:43:59]Yeah. Yeah. All [music] right.

[00:44:01]So, this is a photo of your mom.

[00:44:06]There's your mom, Alice.

[00:44:15]I'd never had a photograph.

[00:44:27]>> Can I keep that? shot. G, it's yours.

[00:44:33]>> This is a beautiful photo. This is Valerie, your sister [music] with her daughter. That's Cheryl, your niece.

[00:44:41]>> Ah.

[00:44:44]Oh gosh.

[00:44:48]>> Last shot. So, these are Valerie's two girls. Dawn's in England and Cheryl, who you've seen. [music] She's in Canada.

[00:44:57]So, [snorts] they're all yours, Jean.

[00:44:59]>> Thank you so much. [music] >> Pleasure.

[00:45:03]>> You're all right.

[00:45:05][snorts] >> Just one last thing, Jean, I want to share with you and then I'll leave you to it.

[00:45:12]Cheryl and Dorne asked me to pass over this.

[00:45:24]Dear Jean, [music] or should we say dear Auntie Jean, we are Cheryl and Dawn, your new found nieces, our mom Valerie, your sister. [music] She was infectious, warm, loving, kind, and caring. You in turn would have loved her. We're extremely [music] excited to find that we have a whole new family out there. There is so [music] much to say and are looking forward to hopefully meeting with you and your family. [music] We wish you and your family all the very best in good health.

[00:45:58]Take care, Cheryl and Dawn.

[00:46:02][snorts] >> I'm really pleased for you.

[00:46:05]>> I am [music] so pleased. I really, really am.

[00:46:17]>> [music] >> Two months after receiving her results, Jean is meeting Dawn, her [music] new found niece, for the very first time.

[00:46:28]When I first heard about Jean, [music] I was just so excited.

[00:46:34]I just wish that my mom was still here and [music] she could meet a sister, but obviously I'm going to do that on her behalf. and I'm so looking forward to having the new family and hoping to make new memories.

[00:46:50]Hello my darling. Do come in. Hello there.

[00:46:55]How lovely to see you.

[00:46:58]>> Hi there.

[00:47:01]You okay?

[00:47:02]>> Yes. And you >> Thank you for inviting me.

[00:47:06]>> So this is your sister.

[00:47:07]>> That's Valerie.

[00:47:08]>> Yeah.

[00:47:09]>> Right. And that's [music] Ronald. So that's mom and dad. Right. Do you see any resemblance at all there?

[00:47:16]>> I don't know. I'm looking for it.

[00:47:19]>> What about if we look at a more recent one in colored >> eyes? Possibly >> the blue. The bright blue.

[00:47:25]>> Always a smile on her face.

[00:47:27]>> I wish I could have messed up. I know.

[00:47:29]It's so sad.

[00:47:31]>> We would have had so much to >> Oh, I bet you I bet you would have had some stories.

[00:47:42]At my age, I think you [music] do tend to live in the past and it's nice to have something not just for the present, but the future.

[00:47:53]I think I thought I'd come to the end and nothing else was going to happen.

[00:47:59]And now all of a sudden, it's a whole new world opened up.

[00:48:19]Since Tanya was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she and her twin sister Kim have been trying to understand the truth about their start in life.

[00:48:29]>> We were 3 years old when we were adopted.

[00:48:33]The story that we tell people is that we were born in China to the one child policy.

[00:48:42]I'd like to know if it's the truth.

[00:48:51]>> Oh, you okay?

[00:48:53]>> Just getting windy blowing about.

[00:48:54]>> It's [laughter] windy >> right now. My good is an an air catcher.

[00:49:00]Excellent [laughter] wind by now. I'm taking off.

[00:49:06]Windy.

[00:49:13]>> Look at their hearts. That would suck if you'd [music] paid to see review from the shot.

[00:49:18]>> British weather discount. [laughter] >> How are you feeling about things?

[00:49:27]>> I'm not really nervous. I'm glad that we're taking this journey together.

[00:49:31]>> Me, too.

[00:49:32]>> You didn't get a choice.

[00:49:33]>> I know. [laughter] I know I didn't.

[00:49:37]>> I love you.

[00:49:38]>> Love you, mama.

[00:49:47]>> I think [music] the reason that Tanya pursued this is because the question of mortality is before her.

[00:49:55]I think there's definitely a sense of urgency now.

[00:49:59]and she doesn't want to leave any loose ends.

[00:50:03]>> Tanya's health has severely deteriorated. She's been moved to a hospice for end of life care.

[00:50:10]Her twin [music] sister Kim will be staying with her.

[00:50:15]When we're young, we always think that we're invincible and we always [music] think we've got tomorrow. There's always time.

[00:50:25]And what we don't realize is time is literally the only currency that you can't get back. It's the only currency of value.

[00:50:37]At Tanya's [music] request, Turia has come to see her at the hospice to give her any information she's managed to find.

[00:50:48]>> Hello again.

[00:50:48]>> Hello. It's lovely just seeing you again.

[00:50:50]>> So good to see you.

[00:50:54]So, I know when you first came to us, you wanted to see if DNA could help you because you were adopted and you really didn't know much about your early life.

[00:51:05]And we got some really interesting [music] results.

[00:51:10]What we found was that overwhelmingly you [music] are getting matches in China. About 80% of your ancestry is coming from southern China. Oh >> yeah. And then you're also getting quite a concentration around Guangjon.

[00:51:29]So just north of Hong Kong's >> Oh yeah. Yeah.

[00:51:32]>> Yeah.

[00:51:34]>> We were just north of Hong Kong.

[00:51:37]>> We've got more.

[00:51:39]>> There's more.

[00:51:40]>> They got more. Tanya.

[00:51:43]So we have an intermediary and she did some extraordinary work and contacted the adoption agency in Hong Kong. They were able to provide quite a lot of information.

[00:52:03]One of the questions that you had was had you been dropped in Hong Kong because your parents were from northern China and this was a time of the one childhood.

[00:52:14]That wasn't the case. They were from Hong Kong and they were really young. They were in their mid teens.

[00:52:23]>> Oh my god.

[00:52:24]>> And they didn't feel that they could look after you. Of course, >> they hadn't even finished being children themselves.

[00:52:32]>> Exactly.

[00:52:35]>> Is it true you've not ever seen a picture of yourself as a baby?

[00:52:46]This is a picture of you.

[00:52:50]Oh my god.

[00:52:53]Yeah. Oh my god. Is it gorgeous?

[00:52:58]>> No, >> it's not. Is she beautiful? Look at her face.

[00:53:09]>> Wasn't it fun?

[00:53:12]Just [music] so it to make you feel better [music] to know that.

[00:53:27]Are they still alive?

[00:53:29]>> That we don't know. The [music] adoption agency is doing fertile work. God, they're not even in their 70s yet, Tanya.

[00:53:41]That's how young they were.

[00:53:44]They were given an opportunity to follow this up. Yeah, I will.

[00:53:52]You know, Alan had parents that cared.

[00:53:57]Did >> they made a hard choice to give us more?

[00:54:08]>> We've [music] always assumed that we were abandoned.

[00:54:13]>> So, I think it changes how we perceive our parents. Absolutely. You know, >> yeah, of course.

[00:54:19]>> To know that that's a huge sacrifice as a parent to make to give your child up like that.

[00:54:27]Just two of them.

[00:54:31]I hope that I can find them just to let them know that their kids had a better life, you know, and that the choice that they made was the right choice.

[00:54:44]I definitely believe I'm so pleased they were able to do this for you.

[00:54:51]>> Thank you so much.

[00:54:52]>> Oh, you're absolutely welcome.

[00:54:54]>> Thank you.

[00:54:58]>> And you had big ears. [laughter] I think the things that shape you as a person are the people that you meet and the things that happened to you along the way.

[00:55:30]I have to be grateful. I have to be thankful. I have to [music] remember who got me here and how I got here.

[00:55:39]I've been very lucky in my life.

[00:55:46]A week after receiving her DNA results, Tanya passed away with her [music] sister by her side.

[00:56:02]This is most definitely a beginning.

[00:56:05]It's opened a door and I really hope, you know, that I continue to pick up that baton from Tanya and move forward with it.

[00:56:17]I want to find them because I want to be able to [music] to give them the answer, though. It was the right choice. Hey, we turned out [music] okay and we we did more than okay. We did great, you know.

[00:56:29]And I hope that that, you know, even though they never knew us, that they can be proud of us.

[00:56:48]>> [music] >> a Mom and dad weren't my real mom and dad, but you don't do anything [music] because you're only a child. If I can just find anything because Tony, >> we're really looking to find out who our egg donor is. I'd really want to know if she's pleased [music] to have children out there.

[00:57:26]>> My father left when I was young. I received a letter from [music] him saying that wasn't his. So, I don't know the truth.

[00:57:34]Let's go.

[00:57:35]>> Yeah.

[00:57:38][gasps] >> Oh my god.

[00:58:08]>> [music]