we’ll always be a family
Divorced couple Marion and James on looking for their son
Divorced couple, Marion and James have always been united in their pain for the son they were forced to give up as teenagers. Although the young parents initially attempted to raise the baby on their own, their families refused to support them.
‘My father was outraged,’ recalls James. ‘He kept saying, “Shame on you!” My family were so against it, but Andy was such a beautiful baby, I would sit there for hours staring at him and holding him.’
‘It was like a bad dream,’ adds Marion. ‘I knew I had to give him away, but words can’t describe how it felt. We were only children ourselves and we had no choice.
I remember sitting on the bed trying to hug Andy as much as possible before they took him.’ Marion and James later married and had two little girls before they split, but they have always longed to be reunited with their first-born.
‘Even though we’re divorced we’re always going to be a family, but there was one of us missing,’ says Marion. ‘We’ve missed so much of his life and we’re never going to get that back.’
‘Giving him up is the worst thing we ever did,’ says James. ‘He is our son and all we’ve ever wanted was to let him know he was a loved baby. It was fantastic news when Davina told us they had found him. I am over the moon; I can finally start living my life.’