Hi its Dave here, head researcher at Relative Connections.
My name is David Oates, I am the Head Researcher at Relative Connections, you can view my LinkedIn by clicking here. I am also the director of the adoption support agency which is regulated by Ofsted.
This week’s blog post is a real corker.
We were contacted by this customer a few month ago, here is her story of why she wanted to contact her sisters, how we found them and the impact it had on her life. She didn’t want to be named and as usual we were happy to oblige but the story is really interesting.
I’d like to say thank you to her for writing it because she was very nervous about doing so. See you next week…
I found out about three years ago that I have two half-sisters, through my dad who I had lost contact with when I was around 2 years old.
I wasn’t brought up with any blood siblings so this was a massive shock to me that I actually had two sisters out there!! Once I knew they were out there I toyed with the idea of finding my sisters somehow and getting in touch with them but I was so scared of their reactions, did they know I even existed?
If they did what had they been told about the situation? Would they want a new person in their life? It was just question after question and it always held me back.
After I had my first child I really felt like the time was right to try to find my sisters and see what reaction I got from them, I wanted to know more about my dad’s side of the family and I wanted them to know they had a niece, granddaughter, great granddaughter, cousin! It suddenly became really important to me.
One day I decided to search online to see how I could go about finding them, I didn’t even know their names but I did of course know their dads name because he was my Dad too. I came across the Relative Connections website and it looked like the exact service I needed!
Fear got the better of me though and it was a few weeks before I actually got the courage to call up and talk to them.
I spoke to Dave initially and told him everything that was a relief in itself and he spoke with such authority. I immediately knew I was in good hands. It felt great to finally be doing something to help me locate my sisters.
Dave went through everything with me, all the possibilities and even talked me through and gave me advice on if I would want Relative Connections to act as an intermediary for me. What an excellent service to offer and perfect for my situation, it would mean if my sisters really didn’t want to know anything about me or were not interested then Relative Connections would deal with all of it and just let me know what the outcome was.
Dave ran through the prices with me and I didn’t hesitate, for me there was no hesitation I just wanted to find my sisters. I placed my order and within a week I had a call from Dave telling me he had located both of my sisters!!
I was overwhelmed, to just hear their names was wonderful finally knowing. Dave confirmed that I still wanted Relative Connections to act as an intermediary and of course I did. So the letters were sent out. I was so full of anticipation during this time, some days I would be excited and others so nervous about the outcome.
Less than a week after that I had an amazing phone call from Relative Connections to tell me that one of my sisters had called the office after receiving the letter and straight away asked if it was relating to me and if I was the one looking for them.
They had known all about me since they were young and both of them were absolutely thrilled I had managed to track them down. It was so emotional and Dave dealt with it exactly as I needed, I am sure I even heard a little sniffle from him through my own tears!
I cannot thank Relative Connections enough for what they have done for me and my family.
After years of being apart we are now building a strong relationship and looking forward to a future together. My case was dealt with quickly and professionally with empathy and understanding all the way through.
I was kept fully up to date with progress and was thrilled with the service I received.
Thank you so much to Dave and all the team at Relative Connections Ltd for finding my sisters!
If you want to start your own search for your sisters or any lost family or old friends please call us now on 0113 282 5900 to arrange a complimentary consultation or visit our dedicated page to help you find your sisters here.