Pune: Adopted 30 years ago, woman meets biological mother for first time
Raised by a Swedish couple after she was adopted 30 years ago, Vibha had never expected to meet her biological mother until she started facing medical complications while she was expecting her fourth child.
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It was a medley of nervousness and excitement at Pune’s Shreevatsa Child Care Centre on Monday as Vibha Sofie Medin met her biological mother for the first time. Raised by a Swedish couple after she was adopted 30 years ago, Vibha had never expected to meet her biological mother until she started facing medical complications while she was expecting her fourth child.
For the first few moments, Vibha stood in silence, allowing the reality of meeting her biological mother (who preferred anonymity) to sink in. Pointing out the similarities in their appearances, it was her biological mother who spoke first: “Can I touch her? Can I give her a hug?”
While neither speaks a common language, the feeling of not being able to express themselves slowly faded away. Her biological mother watched in awe, as Jonas Olsson, Vibha’s husband, showed her pictures of their house back in Sweden.
Vibha works as a nurse at an old-age home and Jonas works as a business manager. They have been living together for 10 years and married for five. The couple has four children – Liam (9), Leo (7), Hedwig (3) and seven-month-old Helge.
Sharmila Sayed, administrative in-charge at Shreevatsa, said Vibha’s biological mother was just 15 years old and unmarried when she had conceived the child. Her mother had then handed over her daughter to the child care centre. Later, the woman married and had more children. It was on Vibha’s request that the centre contacted her mother.
“My wife went through a lot of pain during the fourth delivery and it was then that she felt the need to know what her biological mother must have gone through at such a tender age. That’s when she felt like meeting her and now here we are,” Jonas said.