Photo via KHON
Thirty-five years ago, Nancy Gille made one of the hardest decisions of her life. After holding her newborn baby daughter for only two minutes, she gave up the child that she was sure she’d see again.
“I didn’t tell any of my family, I didn’t tell any of my friends back on the mainland and it was something that I got through and then kind of buried pretty deeply inside of me.” said Gille in an interview with St. Louis’s Fox affiliate.
Gille was on a vacation in Hawaii when she found out she was pregnant. She decided to remain on the island and have the child in order to keep the secret to herself. On February 4th, 1981, her daughter Katherine was born at Kapiolani Medical Center. Although it was a difficult choice, it was the one that made sense at the time.
Photo via KHON
“I didn’t feel like I was ready to be a parent,” Gille admitted. “But, February 4th always had a special significance for me.”
Gille returned to her life back on the mainland, never discussing the heartbreak of having to give up her child. After decades of wondering what ever became of Katherine, Gille finally contacted private investigator Hilton Lui to help her reunite with her missing daughter.
The search, which took them back to Hawaii and eventually to Australia, found Katherine (now Katherine Gray) alive and well – and a mother of her own.
“I see a tremendous sense of joy of something that was such a shameful secret in my life for more than three decades to have turn into such a thing of beauty,” Gille said in an interview with KHON television station.
The Story of Adoption Investigation
The story of Nancy Gille and Katherine Gray is not uncommon. Despite the years and circumstances of an adoption, many children and birth parents wonder what has become of the other. Often, adoptive parents are interested in knowing a child’s medical history which can only be obtained by connecting with the biological parent.
Unfortunately, this information is not always easy to find. According to the Adoption Information Act, parents who enable their right to a confidential or “closed” adoption are provided security so that a birth child or parent can’t contact them later in life. In other instances, birth mothers can sometimes be coerced into giving up their parental rights or rights to contact, especially if they are younger. This can make finding birth parents and biological children incredibly difficult.
Gille and Gray reflect on what’s it like to connect with the past.
Photo via KHON
A New Chapter
Even so, there are many parents and children who want to find each other but don’t know how. An excellent example is Gille and Gray. Even though both parties were interesting in finding and connecting, the span of time and lack of documentation made it virtually impossible to be reunited. It wasn’t until hiring Liu that reunification became a possibility and then a wonderful reality.
“I still pinch myself to believe that, you know, this is my daughter. It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Gille said. “It’s a whole new beginning.”
If you are interested in getting more information about reconnecting with a biological parent or child, now is the time. Contact a professional investigation agency like Lauth Investigations, Intl. and get a free consultation about your particular case today.