“When I heard it the news, I couldn’t believe it. It must be … an amazing thing. It’s a huge blessing to be alive for this moment”, stated Gerda Cole.

Gerda Cole had an amazing and unforgettable birthday celebration in May 2022 after which she finally got to be reunited with her biological daughter Sonya Grist 80 years after she gave her up for adoption. Grist, who lives in England, flew to Toronto just in time for Cole’s big day–which appropriately coincided with a Mother’s Day event at the Revera Kennedy Lodge Long Term Care Home in Scarborough, where the Gerda Cole now resides–after learning her birth mom was still alive and living in Canada, reports CBC News. “I’m crying,” Grist told reporters while waiting to see their mother, for the first time.

“Just one month ago, I had no idea I had a mother alive. I knew nothing. I don’t have a lot of knowledge and I have a million questions I need to ask her but I’m not looking to overwhelm her,” the 80-year-old added. Grist along with their daughter Stephen Grist arrived in Canada on May 7, 2022, in order to see Cole meet for the first time. When the mother-daughter duo finally met, they clung to their hands tightly, unwilling to let go as Cole was euphoric. “Eighty years old,” Cole said in shock and looked up at her daughter she replied jokingly: “Don’t emphasize my age.”

Cole said that the idea was in the making for a while following the house’s contact with her son. “When I learned of the plan that, I was awestruck by the news,” she said. “This is … it must be a true miracle. It is a huge blessing that I am alive to witness the moment.” Cole was sent by her family in Vienna, Austria, to England when she was just 15 years old in order to avoid the persecution of Jewish individuals in the year 1939. Three years after she gave birth to an infant girl, and then put her in foster care due to her financial situation.

“I was a very mediocre student in my educational background, and this together with the wartime meant that I had no choice but to get Sonya adopted on the advice of the refugee committee,” she said. “The conditions were not to maintain any connection to the baby.” While Grist had a close relationship with adoptive parents from England, Cole arrived in Canada following the war. She earned three degrees from universities and a BA with honors from the University of Toronto in Jewish studies. They may not have seen each other again if it weren’t because of Stephen Grist researching his family genealogy last year in order to prove evidence of Austrian descendants so that the family could be granted Austrian citizenship.

“I was very uninformed about my education and that together with the wartime meant that I had no choice but to get Sonya adopted following the guidance of the refugee committee,” she said. “The requirement was that I not maintain any connection to the baby.” While Grist was raised by adoptive parents from England, Cole arrived in Canada following the war. She was able to obtain three degrees from universities with honors, including a BA at the University of Toronto in Jewish studies. They could not have ever seen each other again if it weren’t because of Stephen Grist researching his family lineage in the last year to show evidence of Austrian descent to ensure that his family could get Austrian citizenship.

Stephen was able to contact Cole via the Long-Term Care center. Wendy Gilmour, senior vice head of long-term care for Revera said plans to bring the family together were in the works for some time. “It is amazing the experience that everyone has gone through, including [Cole] and her children and grandkids,” Gilmour said, saying that the event was precisely what the residents required after two years of fighting the effects of the COVID-19 virus on long-term care. “It’s been a struggle for us, and it’s been a tough time for the homes as well as our residents, and having celebrations, which that we’ve never had before in a very long time, brings joy” to the residents She said.