The Inside Story: Man searches for adopted daughter

it was a desperate promise made three and a half decades ago a promise whispered by a teenage father to his newborn daughter tonight's Inside Story Devin's adoption Jim McCaskill is 51 years old for three and a half decades he has been a man haunted it does hurt it never goes away the pain is there it's still here now today it's the late 1970s Jim is just 15 years old when he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant when I found out it was gonna be a dad I wanted to to keep my my daughter the decision was already made that she was being put up for adoption on November 17th 1978 a girl they named Devin was born I knew I could not do this if I didn't see her I had to see her bending hospital rules Jim has given 10 minutes to say his first hello and his final good-bye a nurse took me to a little room and put me in a gown and brought sorry I brought Devin to me this this little small pudgy nose and it just kept staring up at ya like she knew who I was looked at her and kissed her and told her I loved her Jim secretly removes these tiny name beads from around her little neck it was a part of her and it was something that I I would go to the end of the in the end of the world to give it back I'll love you till the day I die that's what I said to her I won't forget you and what one day we'll meet I promise and over the next 34 years Jim honors that promise marking every birthday each Christmas apart something I wouldn't want anybody to go through knowing that you have created something as beautiful as Devin to be out there not knowing how she is or if she's safe Jim McCaskill's name was omitted from Devin's birth records making his search futile international locators u.s. adoption search emails letters the Canadian adoptions agency everything came up empty until earlier this year when Jim hit paydirt and discovered his long-lost daughter's new name Nicole Teresa Stefan ik I went on Facebook and I saw it and when I clicked it up I started to cry right in a spot because it was a split image of her mother and I knew it was her on March 9th of this year 34 years after the whispered promise of a teenage dad two dreams came true I was very very nervous you know I was I was extremely concerned that he wouldn't like me or like the person that I grew up to be he walked in and I lost it in the middle of the hallway I cried my eyes out I couldn't believe how beautiful she was there was an instant connection I knew from the beginning when I first saw him and I saw him working towards me but my arms around her gave her the flowers after I stopped crying I told her I loved her always did always will separated at birth dad and daughter are now making up for lost time this was my best friend growing up as a kid broke her arm by accident sharing each other's lives through snapshots strawberry shortcake for Halloween these are just some of the things that I was picking up every time your birthday came around and you have Barbie without Ken there was a Ken doll - I can't believe after all this time you collected all of these things on the dad and you're my girl forever I love you love you it's undescribable to know that the last 35 years I've been thought of and loved and that stolen necklace has been returned it makes me so emotional every single time I look at it that I promise I give it back and I gave it back and it's hers now I don't take them out of my hands so this was uh this is a part of me she's here she's home just as you promised thirty five years ago I told her one day we'll be together and we're here I like that story well amazing and you know just to think about what this man has gone through to try to find his daughter the age of 15 he knew we wanted to keep her and the fact that you know she Nicole says that her adopt parents were lovely she had an amazing childhood growing up she always felt as though I think as many adoptive kids do that a piece of her was missing and to have this piece in the form of Jim that's amazing dad it's just an amazing it's so well I mean it you know she could have said well okay you're your dad but she was she got quite emotional about it you know she was very touchy-feely kind of thing they feel an instant connection this is new they just met each other for the first time in March and they're having they just had their first birthday together they're having the first Christmas together this Christmas you can reach out to me on Twitter with any story ideas that you have at City Avery the inside stories you know runs every Tuesday and Thursday on City News all segments are up on our website city news dot CA

Channel: CityNews Toronto

Views: 502,690

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Id: PdnoKk7wcNk

Length: 5min 12sec (312 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 04 2013