For the first time after 42 years, Jimmy Lippert Thyden from America finally met and embraced his mother from Chile, Maria Angelica Gonzalez. Adopted as a newborn, the man discovered that he was stolen from the hospital where his birth mother was told that her baby died at birth.

Their emotional reunion, spanning continents and defying the odds, initially unfolded in April 2023 after Thyden, a lawyer, read a story of a man from California who was illegally adopted in Chile, per USA Today. A thought occurred to Thyden to verify the details surrounding his adoption. Driven by an inexplicable pull, he embarked on a quest to unearth his true identity.

Thyden’s adoptive parents from Arlington, Virginia, were unaware that he had been deceitfully separated from his birth mother. Growing up, Thyden became one of three siblings in a nurturing, two-parent household.

Though he was aware of his Chilean birth, he went on to serve in the U.S. Marines for 19 years and established himself as a dedicated criminal defense attorney. Yet, neither he nor his adopted family suspected any living relatives remained in the South American nation, which endured the oppressive rule of dictator Augusto Pinochet from 1973 to 1990.

In a matter of weeks of searching, Thyden learned the truth after getting in touch with Nos Buscamos, a Chilean nonprofit organization that helps reunite adoptees with their birth parents. Since 2014, this organization has been painstakingly reuniting over 650 individuals snatched from their Chilean mothers, only to be adopted into families across the globe, from the U.S. and Canada to Europe and beyond. Amid this heartache, a glimmer of hope emerged through donated 20,000 DNA test kits from MyHeritage.

“For 42 years, I lived on this earth with paperwork from the Chilean government saying I had no living relatives,” Thyden wrote on Facebook. “What I didn’t know was that 42 years ago, my Mamá was cheated out of my existence. Victim of a deeply rooted and well organized lie.”

“I LIVE. My Mamá LIVES. I have brothers and a sister,” he added. “These are the truth, and we will tell these stories until ALL the Children are found or ALL the families are reunited!!”

His tearful reunion with Gonzalez happened on Aug. 17, 2023, in Valdivia, Chile. With trembling hands and a heart full of emotions, Thyden uttered, “Hola, Mama!” to greet his birth mom for the first time. Those two words held the weight of a lifetime, the sorrow of countless missed moments, and the joy of a reunion long yearned for.

Throughout those years, Gonzalez kept the painful secret from her four sons and daughter, never revealing the existence of the baby she believed had perished. She spent years believing her son was lost forever, but as the mother and son clung to each other, with tears streaming down their faces, it was evident that their hearts had never truly been apart.

Thyden is now advocating for the Chilean government to acknowledge the grievous injustices by helping reunite separated families, including covering travel expenses. He urges the provision of counseling services and the prosecution of those involved in infant trafficking.

Meanwhile, Thyden intends to nurture his connection with his Chilean family, forging the foundation of their shared experiences. Soon after meeting his relatives, they joined in singing “Happy Birthday” to him in Spanish. As he popped 42 balloons, each representing a year they were apart, the collective spirit of their missed years mingled with their newfound hope.

Beyond Thyden and Gonzalez’s experiences lies a broader call for justice and awareness. Do you know of anyone who might have a similar experience? Then tell them about this story!