How the MEN reunited me and my sister after decades apart
WHEN Diane Pickering was asked what she wanted for Christmas this year, she couldn’t give an answer.
All the mum-of-five really wanted was the opportunity to meet her long-lost sister.
She had already spent decades searching for her sibling, Linda, who she believed was adopted in 1963 and raised in Wythenshawe.
Diane, 48, had moved away to North Yorkshire, and had almost given up, when a woman claiming to be her sister got in touch.
The woman had stumbled across a story in the Manchester Evening News, and realised she was the sister Diane was looking for.
She was still living in Wythenshawe, and had been adopted under a different name. Diane was sceptical at first, but then the woman began talking about their mother, Dorothy Dixon, and the heartbreaking tale of how she came to be adopted.
Since finding each other two months ago, the two sisters have spoken every day, and have already formed a close bond.
But the joy of being united has been somewhat tainted by the heartbreaking truth of how Diane’s long-lost sister came to be separated from her biological family.
Eight years before Diane was born, Dorothy Dixon was forced to give up her baby daughter Linda, having given birth out of wedlock. Diane believes her mother never got over her harrowing ordeal.
Dorothy passed away in 2009, never knowing the fate of her eldest daughter.
A memory too painful to be talked about, Diane never knew the full story. It was only after finding her sister decades later that Diane found out what went on all those years ago.
“I discovered my mum had been in a relationship with my sister’s father and they planned to marry,” said Diane
“It was actually his mother that turned around and told him he couldn’t marry my mother.
“By this point, my mum had already given up her job and was six months pregnant there was no going back.
“She had bought baby clothes and everything, thinking she was going to raise this baby - she had no idea she wouldn’t.”
At seven months pregnant, Dorothy was booked in to a mother and baby home in Altrincham.
She spent six days with her daughter Linda, until she was given up for adoption.
“It was so shocking to hear that my mother had been through all that,” Diane said.
“It puts it all into perspective why she was so cold with me as a child - she obviously never recovered from what she went through.”
Diane’s sister had spent her childhood and teenage years completely unaware of her past.
It was only after a trip to Manchester Registry Office to pick up a copy of her birth certificate, that she found out about her adoption.
Now she works in a nursing home, and has a number of children and grandchildren.
“She has had a happy life which is what my mum would have wanted to know,” said Diane. “We are getting along really well - it’s scary how alike we are.
“It’s taken a bit of time for it all to sink in and it doesn’t feel real at times because I have been searching for such a long time.”
“The crazy thing is we could have seen her walking around when Manchester when we still lived here, and would have had no idea,” Diane added. “I think my mum would be happy to know that her baby girl has been found and welcomed back into the family.” The sisters are planning their first-ever meeting in the New Year. In the meantime, they plan to keep building a relationship, making up for all the time missed.
“I never ever thought that by Christmas, I would have found my sister,” said Diane. “I had always felt like something was missing, but now I feel complete,” she said.
Diane Pickering