Success Stories

Barbara Broome - March 2008

In August 2006 at the age of 65 I discovered I had a half sister. I did not get very far in trying to find her by my own efforts but in the following May I was told by my son's partner that Gina had found the mother of a friend of hers so I decided to contact Gina myself and I have to say it is one of the best moves I have ever made. I don't know if it was the most difficult search Gina has ever made but it surely must be up there somewhere near the top. It says a great deal about Gina's character and her perseverance because it was a difficult journey. My sister had left these shores in the early 60s having married an American soldier but nothing more was known about where in the U.S. she had gone or even what her married name was but did Gina give up? No way! Through various U.S. websites Gina eventually dug out little bits of information until in October 2007 she found an obituary to someone who could have been (and was) my sister's mother-in-law. At last we had a telephone number and the rest is history.

My sister and I will meet for the first time in May this year when I fly to the U.S. and neither of us can wait - I will be 67, she will be 65. There are no words to express how grateful I am to Gina for her kindness and devotion to not giving up on her search and we both will be forever in her debt. If, as you read this, you know of someone looking for someone, do not hesitate to tell them to contact Gina. If there is someone out there to be found, Gina will find them.

Sue - Bristol . April 2006

Thank you Gina for all your help in tracing my birth parents! I will be eternally grateful, and can offer one piece of advice to anyone searching - don't give up until you find the person you're looking for. Thank you so much Gina, from Mark.

"Born to be Found" and the Kindness of Gina has changed my life for the better forever, giving me something that no amount of money can buy; 2 Sisters, in fact a whole family that I have never knew about, and I have learned so much about my mysterious past. My Sister and I are very close now; it would never have happened without you Gina, you have given me a life I could never have dreamed of. Through your hard work we are all together again after a lifetime apart. Thank you Gina, words are not enough to express my thanks to you and "BORN TO BE FOUND".

For all those searching, my first words to you are.... don't give up! I almost did, then decided to try again, enlisting the help of Born to be Found. My researcher located my mother and siblings in no time at all, due, no doubt, to her dogged perseverance. I was kept informed of her progress every step of the way, given the fact she had very little information to work with, and the support and kindness I was shown was immense. Please do consider using a professional mediator to make contact, as I did. This service is crucial, as they have the knowledge and sensitivity to make contact with people who may not have known of your existence.

A double-whammy Success Story!!

My name is Rick Stock. Born in England I now live in California USA.

In March 2000 I put a message on a UK bulletin board asking for help in finding my sister who had been born in England in 1947 and adopted at birth. I had no idea of her existence until 1972 and the adoptive parents were unknown.

A year later in 2001, just when I had almost given up, I received an e-mail from Gina Gingell who had read my message and offered to try to find my sister. I gave Gina the little information that I had and hoped for the best.
Well, the best happened!!! A few short months later Gina phoned me with the unbelievable news that she had found my sister Jill living in the south of France! Needless to say I was ecstatic!!

But there's more to the story...

I then asked Gina if she could find out who my biological father was. Gina's enquiring mind went to work again and in just a few weeks she had the answer for me. She also discovered that I had some half-siblings.. a brother and sister!

In June 2002 my wife and I flew to England for an amazing family get together! We met Gina and her husband Lawrence and were able to personally thank her for her efforts.

Many lifelong unanswered questions have now been laid to rest thanks to Gina. Our lives have been changed forever and without her it simply would not have happened!!!

We are pleased to know that Gina now has a flourishing business, due in part to our success story. I believe we were her first case.

Way to go Gina!!!!! Keep up the good work!!

"My deepest thanks to Gina for her generosity. A year ago, Gina discovered my story on the net and accompanied me on a most extraordinary personal venture helping me find several members of my family. I won't write an epistle to the Romans .... all I will say is that every door opened. Gina's professionalism, devotion, kindness and trust are qualities that will take her far and wide. She is truly a rare pearl and a friend for life. Gina brings hope and works miracles. Believe in her, believe in yourself ... you will be amazed at what can happen."

There are no words that I can write that can express how I feel about what you have done for me. For 36 years I wondered who I was and where I came from, and in a few short months you answered all my questions. Because of you I have a birth mum and dad and a brother and sister that I knew nothing about. I have four nieces and a new nephew. You have been my special star and without you I would still be looking for my roots. What you have done has secured a special place in my heart for you. I wish you all the luck with your new website and I will be singing your praises for years come.

On 5th June 1967 at the age of 16 I gave birth to a baby boy, because of the ways things were back then my parents wouldn't let me keep him and against my wishes I was forced to give him up for adoption. I have spent the last 36 years grieving for my son. I always thought that one day I would try to find him, last February I contacted Gina to see if she could help me. I had very little faith, I had been told that it was impossible to trace an adopted child as you don't know their name. Gina soon reassured me that it was possible with a lot of hard work. It took Gina 4 months of really hard work to find him for me. On 5th June 2003 the final adoption certificate arrived , it was the right one. It was exactly 36 years to the day after his birth, to me it was as if he had been reborn. We are now reunited, I have been emailing and telephoning him since July and we have met twice. We are taking things very slowly building up a loving relationship. Without Gina my life would be incomplete. I owe her more than money can ever buy. She is my fairy godmother.

Dorothea

I had been searching for my birth mother for nearly 17 years, and had nearly given up after many false hopes and blind leads. By chance; I was contacted by a lady who Gina was helping to trace her son who was born on the same day as me, and as a result she put me in touch with Gina. Within a few weeks Gina had some possible leads for me to follow, and after checking them out, I made contact with my birth mother's sister. Two days later the phone rang and, I spoke to my mother for the first time, this would not have happened without Gina. I have now met my mother who lives in South Africa and my Grandmother and other family who all live in England.

We will all be forever grateful to you Gina.

Russell Kateley & Ros Cairns

To all those looking for loved ones, I spent a very long time looking for my son, and I always hit a brick wall, then Gina came to my rescue, she is very trustworthy, and I couldn't of done it without her. Yes she found my son for me, if anyone can do it, find your loved ones, she can, she is a very dedicated lady.
Thank you Gina, you are a star, Lynda xxxx

I was born in England and put up for adoption 43 years ago. I moved to Canada when I was ten. Seven years ago I began to search for my natural parents, without any success. Then we meet Gina on the internet and within a short period of time , I found my family. I was first reunited with my mother, then two sisters , a brother and not to mention aunts, uncles , cousins, nieces and nephews. We made the trip to Scotland in April 2003 to meet them all and needless to say our lives have changed. It was Gina's first tentative call to my mother that laid the ground work for this all to happen. We are all so grateful . Thank you!!!!!!

What can I say about Gina? Words are inadequate to express my thanks to her for finding my birth family. I was adopted in 1944 and my childhood was not filled with the sort of warmth that made me feel loved and valued as a person. Adulthood brought occasional fits of depression and a feeling of being a non-person - rootless, nameless, without a family history of my own.

Despite an extremely happy marriage and some great kids, there was still something missing. Eventually depression hit again, bad this time, but psychotherapy helped by identifying the root cause: my missing family. So I determined to find them.
Gina first contacted me asking for information about someone else, and then with a speed which left me breathless, she found the records of my mother's birth, then her marriage, and finally we discovered that she had died almost ten years ago. That was sad, but the good news is that I have a brother and a cousin and they have families. We talk on the phone and we are exchanging photos. At the end of April we are going to meet up for a family occasion together and they are all coming to my son's wedding in the summer.

I have traced back on the internet and found my great grandparents and I am now researching other bits of family history. I have always been interested in this, but now it is MY family, my flesh and blood and it makes such a difference! I am looking forward with great excitement (and a little trepidation) to meeting my family at last: they have been so warm and friendly to me that I am sure it will go well.

Gina, you are a real star! All this is down to you and your hard work - and your care and concern. For anyone else looking for their family, take heart - even after almost 60 years, I have found mine. It has literally changed my life. My depression has gone and I look forward to getting to know people I never thought I would meet. Thank you a million times, Gina. I shall always be indebted to you.

Carole.