At 42, Jimmy Thyden, who lives in the United States, was able to find his biological mother in Chile. It had been stolen directly after being born, under the Pinochet dictatorship. His case is not isolated, tens of thousands of babies have been torn from their parents in the same way.
A moving and long-awaited reunion. 42 years after his birth, Jimmy Thyden was able to hug his biological mother, whom he thought was dead. It is, in any case, what was written on his adoption certificate. When he was born, Jimmy was immediately taken from his parents and they too believed he was dead.
Jimmy is one of the babies stolen during the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile in the 1970s/1980s. He and tens of thousands of other children were illegally adopted by families, in the United States but also in Europe. On his Facebook account, Jimmy explains that his adoptive family thought they were paying for legitimate costs and that they did not know that the procedure was illegal.
“I feel completely myself”
Now, associations are trying to reunite families who have been separated. This is how Jimmy was able to reconnect with his biological mother. For months, they communicated by message and by telephone, until this big meeting in mid-August. He and his partner stayed two weeks in Chile and must leave this Thursday.
“For the first time in my life, I feel completely myself. I’m going to fly and it’s going to break my heart,” he told BFMTV.
After this reunion with his mother, several emotions mingle in Jimmy. “It’s a feeling of lost time, 42 years lost. It’s also a feeling of anger, to see her so small, so kind and to know that she has been hurt so much. It’s also happiness, finally being able to hug her and see her in person.”
The cost of the trip is very high
The family hopes to be able to reunite again but nothing is certain, because it is very expensive. To finance this trip, Jimmy had to sell his truck.
Today, he asks that the Chilean authorities recognize the atrocities committed under Pinochet and that financial support be given to the families so that they can meet regularly.
Source: BFM TV
