Tamuna Museridze inhaled deeply before dialing the phone number she had long envisioned calling ever since she learned about the possibility of her adoption.
She was reaching out to the woman she thought to be her biological mother. She understood that the outcome might not resemble a fairy tale reunion; however, she was taken aback by the cold and angry response she received.
“She began to scream and shout, insisting that she had not given birth to a child.” “She didn’t want anything to do with me,” Tamuna reflects, noting that her reaction was more of surprise than disappointment.
“I prepared for various outcomes, yet her response exceeded my wildest expectations.”
Tamuna was not ready to give up just yet. She sought to uncover the details surrounding her adoption, but there was an additional piece of information she yearned for that only her mother could provide – the identity of her father.
Tamuna’s quest commenced in 2016 following the death of the woman who had nurtured her. While clearing out her house, Tamuna stumbled upon a birth certificate bearing her name, yet the date of birth listed was incorrect. This discovery led her to question the possibility of her adoption. Following extensive research, she established a Facebook group named Vedzeb, or I’m Searching, to locate her birth parents.
In a shocking revelation, she exposed a baby trafficking scandal in Georgia that has impacted tens of thousands of individuals. For decades, parents were misled with false reports of their newborns’ deaths, only to discover that their infants had been sold.
Tamuna, a dedicated journalist, has played a pivotal role in reuniting hundreds of families. However, she has long grappled with the enigma of her origins, questioning whether she, too, was a victim of child abduction.
“While I was covering this story as a journalist, it also held personal significance for me,” she states.
A significant development in her quest emerged during the summer, marked by a message she received via her Facebook group. A resident of rural Georgia reported knowledge of a woman who concealed her pregnancy and gave birth in Tbilisi in September 1984. The timeframe coincides with Tamuna’s birth, a detail she has made known to the public.
A source has indicated that the woman in question is considered Tamuna’s biological mother, and notably, a name was provided.
Tamuna promptly initiated an online search for her but, upon finding no information, opted to make a public appeal on Facebook, enquiring if anyone knew her whereabouts.
A woman quickly replied, revealing that the individual who had hidden the pregnancy was her aunt. She requested that Tamuna remove the post, but Tamuna consented to undergo a DNA test.
As they waited for the results, Tamuna contacted her mother by phone.
One week later, the DNA results were released, confirming that Tamuna and the woman from Facebook are, in fact, cousins. With compelling evidence, Tamuna persuaded her mother to confront the truth and disclose her father’s identity. The individual in question was identified as Gurgen Khorava.
“The initial two months were astonishing; I was in disbelief over the events unfolding in my life,” she reflects. “I couldn’t fathom that I had discovered them.”
After obtaining Gurgen’s name, Tamuna swiftly located him on Facebook. He had been tracking her narrative on social media, where her efforts to reconnect families have gained significant recognition throughout Georgia.
Tamuna was surprised to discover that he had been on her friend list for three years. He was unaware that he played a role in her narrative.
“He was completely unaware that my birth mother had been pregnant,” Tamuna reveals. “The unexpected turn of events took him aback.”
The two quickly organized a meeting in Zugdidi, a town in western Georgia, approximately 160 miles (260 kilometers) from her residence in Tbilisi.
Reflecting on the past, Tamuna recalls experiencing a sense of shock. However, an unexpected calmness washed over her as she approached Gurgen’s garden gate.
The 72-year-old appeared, embracing another individual before pausing to share a moment of mutual smiles and connection.
“It was a peculiar moment; the instant he gazed at me, he recognized that I was his daughter,” she reflects. “I experienced a whirlwind of emotions.”
She found herself overwhelmed with questions, uncertain how to begin addressing them. “We simply sat together, observing one another and attempting to discover common ground,” she states.
During their conversation, the two discovered a wealth of common interests. Gurgen, a former celebrated dancer at the State Ballet of Georgia, expressed joy upon learning that Tamuna’s daughters—his granddaughters—also embraced his passion for dance.
“They both have a passion for dancing, and my husband shares that enthusiasm,” she remarks with a smile. Gurgen invited his entire family, welcoming them to his home for a gathering that included the introduction of Tamuna. This occasion brought together a sizable assembly of relatives comprising half-siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles. The family reached a consensus regarding the notable resemblance among their members. “Among all his children, I resemble my father the most,” she states.
On a memorable evening, the group gathered to exchange stories, indulge in traditional Georgian cuisine, and enjoy a lively atmosphere as Gurgen provided musical accompaniment on the accordion.
Despite having finally met her father, Tamuna was left with a lingering question: had she, similar to countless other Georgians, been taken from her mother at birth and sold? With her adoptive parents having passed away, she found herself without a source for the answers she sought.
In October, she seized the opportunity to pose her questions to her birth mother. A documentary crew from a Polish television company captured the poignant moment when Tamuna was reunited with her mother, who consented to a private conversation with her daughter.
In a surprising twist, Tamuna learned she was not among the stolen children. She had dedicated her efforts to reuniting with their families. In a startling revelation, it has come to light that her mother chose to give her up, maintaining this secret for four decades.
Her mother and father were not in a relationship; their connection was limited to a brief encounter. Her mother, burdened by a sense of shame, decided to conceal her pregnancy.
In September 1984, she journeyed to Tbilisi under the pretense of undergoing surgery, but instead, she welcomed a daughter into the world. She remained in that location until the arrangements for Tamuna’s adoption were finalized.
“I was struck by the realization that I had spent 10 days alone with her before the adoption.” “I try to avoid dwelling on that,” Tamuna shares.
The woman claims that her mother instructed her to fabricate a story, asserting that she had been abducted. “She informed me that if I did not claim that I was taken, our relationship would come to a close…” I expressed my inability to comply with that request.
Tamuna believes that this situation would be unjust to all the parents whose infants were taken from them. “If I lie, it will undermine the credibility of those mothers,” she explains.
Following a tense exchange, her mother requested that she vacate the premises, leading to a prolonged silence between them.
“Would I undertake the same journey once more?” she contemplates. “I discovered a wealth of information about my new family.”
Two individuals born at the same time, sharing the same womb, are commonly called twins. This unique biological phenomenon often captivates the interest of the scientific community and the general public. Amy and Ano were separated from their mother at a young age and sold.
By a stroke of luck, they came across one another and quickly uncovered a network of thousands in Georgia who had similarly been taken from hospitals.
