Woman’s Quest for Birth Parents Reveals Father Was a Facebook Friend

Tamuna Museridze initiated a long-awaited phone call to the individual she suspected was her biological mother, a moment she had envisioned since learning of her potential adoption. While she braced for a less-than-ideal reunion, the “cold and angry” reaction she encountered was unexpected. Tamuna recounted the woman’s response, stating, “She started screaming, shouting – she said she hadn’t given birth to a child. She didn’t want anything to do with me,” noting her surprise outweighed her upset. She further commented, “I was ready for anything, but her reaction was beyond anything I could imagine.” Undeterred, Tamuna was resolved to pursue her quest, aiming to uncover the details surrounding her adoption and, critically, to obtain her father’s name, information solely accessible through her mother. Tamuna’s investigation commenced in 2016, following the death of the woman who raised her. During the process of clearing the house, Tamuna discovered a birth certificate bearing her name but an inaccurate birth date, prompting her suspicion of adoption. Subsequent research led her to establish a Facebook group named Vedzeb, meaning “I’m Searching,” with the goal of locating her biological parents. Her pursuit inadvertently exposed a baby trafficking scandal within Georgia, a widespread issue spanning many decades that affected tens of thousands of lives. In this scheme, parents were misled into believing their newborn babies had died, when in fact, the infants were sold. Despite her journalistic work having facilitated the reunion of hundreds of families, Tamuna had, until this point, been unable to resolve the enigma of her own background, leading her to question if she had also been stolen as an infant. She articulated, “I was a journalist on this story, but it was a personal mission for me as well.” A significant development in her search occurred during the summer, when she received a message through her Facebook group. The sender, residing in rural Georgia, indicated awareness of a woman who had concealed a pregnancy and delivered a child in Tbilisi in September 1984, a period that aligned with Tamuna’s publicly disclosed birth date. This individual identified the woman as Tamuna’s biological mother and, critically, supplied her name. Tamuna promptly conducted an online search for the woman; however, finding no relevant information, she decided to publish an appeal on Facebook seeking details about her. Shortly thereafter, a woman responded, confirming that the individual who had hidden the pregnancy was her aunt. She asked Tamuna to delete the post but consented to undergo a DNA test. During the period of waiting for the DNA test results, Tamuna placed the aforementioned phone call to her mother. One week later, the DNA test results arrived, establishing that Tamuna and the woman on Facebook were indeed cousins. Equipped with this evidence, Tamuna successfully convinced her mother to acknowledge the truth and disclose her father’s identity, a man named Gurgen Khorava. Tamuna reflected, stating, “The first two months were shocking, I couldn’t believe these things were happening to me,” and adding, “I couldn’t believe I had found them.” Upon obtaining Gurgen’s name, Tamuna promptly located him on Facebook. It was discovered that he had been tracking her narrative on social media, given her widely recognized work in family reunification across Georgia. Tamuna expressed her astonishment upon realizing he had “been in my friend list for three years,” unaware of his connection to her personal history. Tamuna commented, “He didn’t even know my birth mother had been pregnant,” further noting, “It was a huge surprise for him.” An arrangement was soon made for them to meet in Zugdidi, his hometown situated in western Georgia, located approximately 160 miles (260km) from Tamuna’s home in Tbilisi. Reflecting on the moment, Tamuna surmised she was in a state of shock, yet experienced an unexpected sense of calm as she approached Gurgen’s garden gate. Upon the appearance of the 72-year-old, they embraced, subsequently pausing to gaze at one another with smiles. She recounted, “It was strange, the moment he looked at me, he knew that I was his daughter,” and conveyed experiencing “so many mixed emotions.” Faced with numerous questions, she was uncertain how to commence their conversation. She remarked, “We just sat together, watching each other and trying to find something in common.” During their conversation, they uncovered mutual interests. Gurgen, who had previously been a distinguished dancer at the State Ballet of Georgia, expressed joy upon learning that Tamuna’s daughters, his granddaughters, shared his enthusiasm for dance. She added with a smile, “They both love dancing, and so does my husband.” Gurgen extended an invitation to his entire family to meet Tamuna, introducing her to a considerable number of new relatives, including half siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles. The family observed a strong likeness among them. Tamuna stated, “Out of all his children, I look the most like my father.” They spent an evening exchanging stories, consuming traditional Georgian cuisine, and singing as Gurgen played the accordion. Even after meeting her father, Tamuna harbored a persistent query: had she, akin to thousands of other Georgians, been taken from her mother at birth and sold? Her adoptive parents were no longer alive, precluding her from seeking answers from them. The chance to question her biological mother finally arose in October, when a Polish TV company, producing a documentary about Tamuna, facilitated a private meeting between them. In contrast to numerous individuals Tamuna had assisted in reuniting, she learned that she herself had not been a stolen child. Rather, her mother had relinquished her and maintained the secret for four decades. Her biological parents had not been in a relationship, having only a brief encounter. Overcome by shame, her mother opted to hide her pregnancy. In September 1984, she journeyed to Tbilisi, informing others she was undergoing surgery, but instead delivered a daughter. She stayed in Tbilisi until the arrangements for Tamuna’s adoption were completed. Tamuna reflected, stating, “It was painful to learn that I spent 10 days alone with her before the adoption. I try not to think about that.” She recounted that her mother requested her to fabricate a story, asserting she had been stolen. “She told me that if I would not say that I was stolen, everything would end between us… and I said that I couldn’t do that.” Tamuna believed this action would be unjust to the parents whose infants were stolen, clarifying, “If I lie, nobody’s going to believe those mothers any more.” Subsequently, her mother requested her departure from the house, and they have not spoken since that time. She pondered, “Would I do it all again?” and affirmed, “Of course I would, I found out so much about my new family.” In a related context, “Georgia’s Stolen Children” highlights that twins Amy and Ano were separated from their mother as infants and sold. They serendipitously discovered each other and subsequently uncovered thousands of other individuals in Georgia who had also been stolen from hospitals.