Back in the 1980’s the Chilean government sanctioned the trafficking of poor children to richer developed nations in an attempt to eradicate extreme poverty.
Under the rule of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, kids born to mostly poor, indigenous women were treated like the latest commodity rather than human beings.
To make matters worse, the government had lots of help from the private sector in implementing the heinous plot to rip families apart while making a profit.
People in trusted positions – doctors, nuns, social workers, and international adoption agencies – were all involved in the plan to rid the country of poverty-stricken children.
38-year-old Tyler Graf was just a regular guy with a wife and kid living an ordinary life as a firefighter in Texas.
But then he found out he was one of up to 50,000 babies who were kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder.
He told ABC station KTRK:
“I mean you are playing with people’s lives for money. You are not destroying one life, you’re destroying multiple families,” Graf said.
Graf’s birth mother was lied to about the supposed death of her son during childbirth.
Hilda Quezada Godoy was not allowed to see the body of her little boy, who was born three months premature. She had no idea of the true nature of the crime that had taken place.
“I can’t imagine what my birth mother went through when she lost me and grieved my death.”
Graf discovered his true roots after the birth of his own son. He wanted to know more about his biological family, and during his research he was contacted by Hijos y Madres del Silencio, a Chilean support group for victims of illegal adoptions and child trafficking.
He was told that he had actually been kidnapped from Temuco, Chile, and was illegally given to an American family who had no knowledge of his background.
Graf took a DNA test to prove that he actually had relatives from Chile.
After learning the truth, Graf was able to reconnect with his birth mom and three sisters he didn’t know he had.
At first it was an awkward and complicated reunion, but then it turned to laughter and smiles!
Upon learning that her son was alive, Hilda Quezada Godoy told KTRK:
“I wanted to scream. I questioned a lot of things. The thought of if he was loved, if he ate well, if he spent time cold.”
As for Graf’s adopted family, they absolutely still matter to him. After all, they raised him from birth!
“I do not want to hurt my adoptive parents’ feelings or my birth mothers’ feelings, so it is kind of a fine balance right now,” he told KPRC. “I’m trying to figure where I fit in the middle of all this.”
Love is a better predictor than poverty when it comes to raising good people. As Graf notes:
“To be a good mother, it doesn’t take a fancy house, doesn’t take money. It’s pretty simple. It’s open arms and a huge heart filled with nothing but support and love.”
Watch the video below to see this incredible reunion story unfold!
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