Daughter Reunited with Father After Three Decades

Mika Ap Ellis’ extensive 30-year search for her father neared its conclusion when she received a reply stating: “‘yes, I know your father.’” This response arrived just 20 minutes after her initial message. Ms. Ap Ellis had dedicated years to locating her father, Omar, whom she had not encountered since her childhood. She recounted: “I’ve never really had a relationship with him. However, I did have letters from him. I had birthday cards from him and I had loads of photos, so I knew that there was a connection.” She explained that serious consideration for finding her father began around her 18th birthday and continued into her early twenties. The sole piece of information she had from individuals familiar with Omar suggested he was probably homeless and living on the streets. Ms. Ap Ellis’ initial efforts to locate her father involved contacting charities and local council agencies assisting homeless individuals. However, their assistance was restricted by data protection regulations. She stated: “I kept hitting brick walls as I went along.” A new lead emerged for her in November two years prior, while she was watching a news segment broadcast on BBC London. The segment featured Verral Paul-Walcott, a Tottenham resident who operates a cycling group that delivers food and other provisions to individuals experiencing homelessness on the streets of London. Ms. Ap Ellis decided to contact Mr. Paul-Walcott via social media, inquiring if he knew her father’s whereabouts. Mr. Paul-Walcott responded within minutes, confirming he knew where Omar was. Ms. Ap Ellis expressed her astonishment, stating: “It was absolutely amazing, I just couldn’t believe it”. She continued: “From that, it took me a long time to get my head around it and try to understand what I wanted from meeting my father.” She further commented: “It’s one thing knowing where they are after 30 years – you just don’t know how it’s going to be.” Upon receiving Ms. Ap Ellis’ message, Mr. Paul-Walcott recounted going directly to the location where he knew Omar typically slept. He stated: “I approached him and like normal I asked him if he needed some support, and he told me the essentials that he needed.” He continued: “I got them for him and when I came back, I said to him: ‘I have some news for you. There’s someone called Mika who would like to see you.’ He looked up at me, and his eyes filled up and he said: ‘That’s my daughter.’” Omar then recorded a voice message using Mr. Paul-Walcott’s phone, intended for his daughter, allowing her to hear her father’s voice for the first time in thirty years. Subsequently, Mr. Paul-Walcott maintained contact with Omar and eventually facilitated the in-person reunion of the long-separated father and daughter. Ms. Ap Ellis recounted: “My dad knew now that I was coming down. He’d spoken to Verral and he was going to be in his usual spot outside Five Guys.” She admitted: “In my head I’m still thinking I don’t think he’s going to be there. It’s been thirty years so I wasn’t really expecting much.“I was so nervous when I eventually went over to him, and said ‘are you Omar?’ and he said yes.“I hugged him and it was a really surreal moment, but it didn’t feel like a stranger, it did feel like home in a weird sort of way. For the rest of the day we went up to the park and we just chatted for hours and hours and hours just about all sorts”. She characterized the discovery of her father in this manner as a “miracle”. Ms. Ap Ellis asserted: “If anybody is looking for anybody in London especially if they’re homeless, I give Verral an hour and he’ll find them.”