Patricia’s search for sister she’s never known
GRANDMOTHER’S DESPERATE BID TO FIND LONG-LOST SHEILA
A HEARTBROKEN grandmother says she’s hoping for a miracle to find her long-lost half-sister.
Patricia Blythe, 73, has never met her half-sister Sheila as they were both adopted by different families at young ages.
With help from her daughter, Kerrie Grandison, 52, she found her half-sister’s birth certificate through an online appeal.
Originally from Nottingham, Mrs Blythe now lives in Birmingham but hopes to use social media to track her down.
It all started when her sister’s name was dropped in conversation for the first time when she was in her 30s, she said.
But the more intense search started only seven months ago, and she and her daughter have scanned ancestry websites and social media in hope to find Sheila.
Mrs Blythe said: “I feel quite emotional when I talk about it.
“I want to find her because I grew up alone, and I would like to know who my sister is.
“All these years I did not know I have a sister – it is almost like it has been kept like a secret.”
She was adopted by her mum’s grandparents when she was around four and remembers her shock at finding out about her sister decades later.
“It was a relative that told me - and I was very surprised”, she said.
Kerrie Grandison, who has dedicated the last seven months to carrying our intensive research, added: “It is just incredible, really.
“Because it was just something that a relative mentioned in a conversation and we have since found information which proves that my mother has a sister.”
The 52-year-old added that her mother’s sister was born in West Bridgford in 1951.
She added: “Because my mum was adopted from a young age, she lost contact with most of her relatives – it is heartbreaking.
“It is important for her to find Sheila – it really matters to her.
“We tried to find my grandmother, my mum’s mum, as she has not seen her in years.
“We do not know if she is still alive – it seems like she just disappeared.”
They also found a three-year-old post on the Reddit website, which appears to be an attempt by her halfsister’s daughter to appeal for more information about her family. However, there was no contact information included with it and the original poster has not responded to their messages.
Before Christmas, Mrs Blythe put a video on Twitter appealing for help. She said: “My biggest wish would be to be reunited with my sister, and for us to be the family we never had the chance to be.”
I want to find her because I grew up alone, and I would like to know who my sister is Patricia Blythe