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Galway Advertiser 2006/2006_09_21/GA_2109_E1_016.pdf
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Galway Advertiser
September 21 2006
NEWS
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FASHION
BEAUTY
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H E A LT H
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LIFE
MARY
O'CONNOR
Reunited thanks to deathbed revelation
As Nicole Manserra lay dying from liver cancer in Canada in 1992 she revealed a secret which would change her children's lives forever.
The 48-year-old Quebec woman spoke about the two babies she had given up for adoption when she was a teenager. She went on to marry their father and have four additional children but she still thought about the two girls whom she never had a chance to love. Little did she know that one daughter lived not far away in another part of Canada while the other had grown up in Galway city. Patricia Hughes, formerly Browne, was adopted in Canada when she was six weeks old. Her adoptive father John, who is a brother of former councillor Tom Browne, grew up in Henry Street, later emigrating to Canada. He and his late wife, Mary, adopted Patricia in 1963 before returning to Galway to live in Woodlands, Renmore, in 1974. Patricia, an only child, attended the Presentation primary and secondary school in the city later graduating with a Phd in chemistry. She recalls a happy childhood with great adoptive parents. She was very close to them and knew she was adopted since she was nine years old. "I grew up a very happy and contented child surrounded by much love from my wonderful parents and a large circle of friends," she says as she relaxes with her family on a visit to her adoptive father in Renmore. "My parents told me I was adopted when I was nine years old, an age I consider just old enough to truly understand the full meaning of adoption. My initial reaction was one of numbness. I didn't speak or ask any questions. I just left the room, had a little cry and went out to play." She did not have any great longing to trace her birth family. She attributes this to the contentment and happiness in her life. It was her husband, Kevin, eventually who persuaded her to search, partly due to their daughter's medical problems but also because he was genuinely interested in knowing about her birth family. By then, they were living in England where Patricia worked as a business development manager with a chemical company. "I was always very close to my adoptive parents and never had an ambition to trace my birth parents. I didn't want to hurt people's feelings. My husband was the instigator of the search. He comes from a large family and could not understand why I didn't trace my roots." Fate intervened after her adoptive mother died in 1998. Patricia discovered her adoption certificate while she was clearing some stuff away. Her name was listed as Rose Lisa Methot. In August 1999, prompted by the information she had accidentally come across and by her need to get further details on her medical background - her daughter had kidney problems - she initiated the search. "My expectations weren't high. I knew the process could be lengthy and I prepared myself for the worst case scenario. I asked my dad if he was OK with me searching and kept him involved throughout the entire process. I also told him how much I loved him and assured him I wasn't looking for replacements in my life. He was so unselfish, he said `Sweetheart, go ahead. When I'm gone you'll have people there.'" Fortunately, her Canadian birth sister Debbie had also initiated a search. In November, Patricia received a letter by registered post which signalled the start of a new chapter in her life. "Everything happened so quickly it was hard to take it in. I felt like a rollercoaster ride and my emotions were all over the place. I had hired a private investigator to help with the search but got a hit from the adoption register very quickly." Her husband had opened the letter and was full of excitement. "I was fit to kill him for doing that! He said `Sit down, I've news for you. You have two sisters.'" However, the search unearthed further details. She had in fact three sisters (one of whom her parents had given up for adoption within a year of Patricia's birth. She was named Maureen and grew up in Canada). The others were Tina, and Debbie (who later wrote a book about the experience) and brothers, Lenny and Rocky. They grew up with their birth parents in Canada. Debbie, who came to Galway recently to meet Debbie Manserra (left) from Canada who was reunited with her birth sister Patricia and her adoptive father John Browne, Patricia Hughes from Woodlands, Renmore. says she was "numb to the world" when her aunt "He's a very pleasant, nice person. He felt Her father was shocked when Debbie told him told her about her mother's death-bed she knew about the family secret. "He became awfully guilty but I told him I was happy. But I revelations. "My aunt said I had two sisters who were both extremely emotional. I assured him we never don't know him, he's like a stranger." Patricia says meeting her birth family was an given away by my mother and father for adoption discussed it with mom which seemed to ease his added bonus to her life. "I know that while we before I was born. She said my parents were mind." He explained the circumstances and reasons never grew up together as a family unit we have young - my mother was 17 at the time of her first pregnancy - and she had hid in the basement for the adoptions, which to Debbie's relief, did not formed a friendship that will continue to grow with time. I owe a huge thanks to my sister and until she had the baby girl and had given her conflict with what her aunt had told her. Patricia says she was "extremely disappointed closest friend, Debbie, for initiating the search to away at birth. After a year, the same scenario was repeated [she had another baby girl]. She was and upset" to learn her birth mother had died at find me. Meeting my brothers and sisters is one from a good Catholic family and her mother said such a young age. "I can't even begin to imagine of the greatest gifts that life has brought my way." She stresses she has not lost sight of the two the last thing she needed was for the community what it must have been like for her to give her two to stare and single her out. She refused to allow babies away. I so wanted to thank her for having people who brought her up, John and the late me when the alternative could have a termination Mary Browne, and says she loves them both very my mother get married to my dad then." Debbie, who lives in Toronto, knew about her and to let her know how blessed I was to have much and owes them a lot. John says he is happy that Patricia was parents' secret before her mother died but chose been brought up by two wonderful parents." Once she knew the full extent of her family she reunited with her birth family. He says he was not to raise the issue with her. "I went to visit Mom after work. The nurses let desperately wanted to meet everyone. She and "with her all the way" when she began the me know she had not had a very good day but her husband Kevin flew to Toronto on January 28 tracing process. "She was an adult and I'm a liberal kind of fella. was now sleeping soundly. I just looked at her 2000. "What a millennium present this was going to I was never nervous [about the tracing]. She was silently, full of questioning thoughts. `Mom why didn't you ever tell us about our sisters?' `Why be. The plane journey seemed to take forever. As always no trouble. I've met Debbie [who did you feel you had to keep it a secret?' `Why do we got off the plane there were Tina and Debbie presented him with a copy of her book on her I feel like I don't know you now?' I held her hand [her birth sisters]. Once we spoke it was as if had visit to Galway] and Rocky [her brother] and it was a nice experience. I'm delighted Patricia has known each other all our lives." and cried silently.'" She met her other sister Maureen [who was found them all. I come from a big family myself She believes her mother unburdened her secret because she was desperate to make also given up for adoption], her brothers and her (11 boys and three girls)." amends. "She had perhaps wanted us to find and Italian born birth father who is aged 66. She * Sisters Revealed by Debbie Manserra can be bring the sisters we did not know we had into the describes him as `shy, nervous and extremely bought online from Amazon Books. family after being apart from us for all this time." nice".
I was always very close to my adoptive parents and never had an ambition to trace my birth parents. I didn't want to hurt people's feelings