RECURRING DREAM FORCES A SOUTH KOREAN GIRL TO UNRAVEL A 34-YEAR-OLD CHILDHOOD MYSTERY IN THE U.S
We all have been through a moment where we could sense that we are forgetting something. It’s like a major missing of what holds some significance but we cannot it remember anymore. Isn’t that extremely frustrating? Yet we cannot do anything about it. We usually miss on the teeny tiny memories but what if it is something huge? Or a hidden truth that can turn many lives upside down once unleashed?
Think of it, we all have at least one moment from our childhood that we remember but only in bits and pieces. Soon most of those memories become blurry, just like a faded vintage painting.
This is a heartwarming story of a girl who fought all the odds to recall what meant the most to her once. At the same time, she wasn’t even sure about what exactly it was that she kept looking for. She lost the memory of it all, thanks to the rough course of time that she has been through. Every time she tried to make a journey back to those faded memories the weirdest of information popped on the scene. But was she ever able to solve this riddle that none could understand but herself?
In Her Dream
At midnight, she woke up with a strange sort of feeling. It was strange but not new to her as she used to feel the same way many times before. Each time she had the same dream, and in it, she saw her childhood-self sad and frightened. When a helping hand reached for her help, she grabbed it and it guided her towards a room full of light.
Nightmare
Once she enters the room, the door gets locked and she could feel it like she never had to return to those dark streets. Before she could even feel the joy of freedom, a loud noise starts to call for her from behind the door. The voice keeps calling for her, and it grew louder and louder, without any pause. Until the moment it becomes impossible for the little girl to hear herself think.
Out Of It
Like every time before she had this dream, this time also, she woke up again at the same moment when she couldn’t bear the constantly increasing loud noise calling for her anymore. It was a feeling of regret and despair but why did she feel so? The girl had no answer to this and all the other questions on her mind.
Not Yet Over
All she knew was that she has to get to the bottom of it. She couldn’t concentrate anywhere but think of what this dream was trying to tell her. Not even once she felt that it was just a dream, in fact, her belief in the point that it was a sign kept increasing every time she saw the same dream. Was her intuition right? Was her dream indeed trying to take her into a certain direction? Or was it a memory that was only stored in her subconscious mind?
When It All Started
She was well aware that her early childhood years had not been like most of the people. Although she didn’t remember any of it, all she had were the stories everyone told her about that earliest phase of her life. The girl we are referring to is Renee Alanko and it’s her unusual story…
Farewell Sweety
So, Renee’s biological father left her in the market place and slipped 1,000 Won (approximately 84 cents). He asked her to buy something to eat when she’s hungry and instructed her to never leave the market no matter what. At last, he gave her a gift that she could’ve never guessed was a farewell present.
Little Girl In A Mega City
The girl’s father left her in the market area of the South Korean capital, Seoul. She was abandoned in one of the most crowded areas of the city with her favorite soft toy. Back then, she spent the entire day searching for her father who made his daughter a promise, which the little girl failed to understand was a false one.
False Hope
The four-year-old Reena innocently followed her father’s instruction. Not even in her worst nightmare had she ever thought that her dad will leave her just like that. After waiting for a couple of hours, she bought herself a burger and sat on the same bench for dad’s return. Sadly, he never intended to return in the first place.
Brave Little Fellow
The girl spent the entire day happily thinking that her dad thinks of her as a brave girl who can roam around the market all by herself. She didn’t talk to any strangers. She managed to stay there all day long, unnoticed by any suspicious person. She was feeling a sense of freedom at quite an early age. But this fun time started to look more of punishment soon.
Dozing Off
When her dad was nowhere in the market even after evening, she slept on the same bench to make sure her father will find her when he’s back. When evening turned into night, she had no clue of it. That’s when the defining moment in her life was about to take place.
Closing Time Soon
The little girl was exhausted with the whole day’s unplanned outing and didn’t notice that it was almost the market’s closing time. That’s when a woman caught the sight of the little girl sleeping on a bench in the corner. The woman woke her up and asked her name, and her address.
Renee Alanko
Back in the month of March during 1984, Renee was just 4 years old when the life-changing incident took place. She was so young to understand what was happening but people who knew her story felt pity for the little girl. She was found in a miserable condition on the streets without any guardian.
Not Uttering Single Word
The woman took the girl in her shop and tried to get information but failed. The girl stayed silent and this worried the woman even more. In the hopes that she will find some sort of knowledge of the girl’s parents, the woman looked into her pockets. She didn’t find any address but certainly realized the critical situation.
A Mysterious Note
The woman spotted a heartbreaking note in the 4-year-old’s pocket. She couldn’t believe what she was reading and the fact that any parent could do this to their kid was depressing for her. She looked at the little girl and for a moment it felt like her future was going to be a huge struggle.
The Note
“Please send this child to an orphanage through [a]police station. At present, she has no parents,” read the note. The woman knew this matter was out of her hands, hence, she grabbed her phone to inform the local police about the girl and the note.
Police Interference
The woman kept on wondering if it was the girl’s father or her mother who wrote the note, meanwhile, the police were on their way. She explained to the police that she didn’t see her dad leaving her but noticed the girl sleeping just an hour ago.
Birth Name
The girl was frightened yet told her birth name to the police. Her name was Jee Young Lee and that was all they knew about her. They put up Renee for adoption, and just like any other orphanage, Renee too lived the foster life for a couple of months before a couple showed interest in the little girl.
Little Renee
Soon, the bad times were over for her as an American family adopted her and named her Renee Alanko. She moved to Pleasanton, California into her adoptive parent’s home. With her new siblings, she lived the childhood she deserved. Sadly, those faded memories from the past kept floating in from time to time.
Brand New Family
Renee’s adoptive family made sure that she never feels an odd one out. She was everyone’s favorite and the most pampered kid of the Alanko family. She completed her schooling and graduation when things took her on a new track.
Curious About The Past
Even though Renee loved her adoptive parents, she always remained curious to know her origin and her biological family. Yes, she was well aware of the fact that her parents abandoned her willingly yet she wanted to know if she had any sibling that she didn’t know of. Though her adoption file didn’t speak of any sibling there was one piece of information that her mother shared with her that was going to change her age-old beliefs.
The Adoption Report
The adoption report mentioned that the day when Renee was brought to the police, she said that her dad was an alcoholic and he was an aggressive man. A 4-year-old girl told the police how she had seen her dad beating her mother several times.
Key Points
Alanko’s biological dad’s behavior forced her mom to abandon the family. Although there was an elder sister who took care of her. Back then Alanko had shared whatever she knew. Little did Alanko know that these points were going to solve the mystery of her past.
Many Gaps In The Story
After their mother left them, Alanko’s elder sister loved her no less than her mother. There was much more to this story that wasn’t mentioned on the adoption reports. Luckily, Alanko’s adoptive mother had a significant piece of information that changed the entire course of things.
Mother’s Memory
The reports just mentioned that Alanko had an elder sister. However, her stepmother mentioned that Alanko used to talk about having a younger brother during her childhood. Her mother was always doubtful if she should believe her or not. Especially when she was saying something completely opposite to the adoption report.
Putting The Pieces Together
While growing up, Alanko tried various times to get back to her brother but failed. All she was lacking was some more relevant information. She didn’t even remember his name. She had no clue if the dreams that she had and the childhood memories her mother talked of were true or not.
Trip To Seoul
Alanko started by asking her mom the name of her brother and got to know the first name. With that information, Alanko started to look for her younger brother on Facebook. As expected nothing was going to pop up just by the first name.
The determination to find her brother took her back to her hometown; Seoul.
Back To Square On
From the local police station to the orphanage, Renee did all that she could. Unfortunately, Renee returned from her hometown empty-handed. Without any useful information, she started to lose hope to find her brother. After all, he could be living anywhere across the globe!
Hopes Arising Again
In May 2018, Renee decided to take a DNA test through 23andMe as her husband and herself were planning to have a baby and they wanted to know all about their hereditary health links. She wasn’t looking for her brother anymore.
DNA Relatives
Renee recalled the date, May 26, 2018, and thanked God that the reports were all fine. Then she went on saying: “Then I started exploring the other tabs just to see what else was on there, and I saw under ‘Tools’ it said, ‘DNA relatives’ and I said, oh and I just clicked on it thinking, yeah, I’ll probably have a trillion 5th cousins and stuff.” But the incredible truth popped on her screen the moment she clicked.
Unexpected Results
Completely opposite of what she expected, the website showed a man’s profile. His name was Justin, a 35-year-old resident of Sam, Oregon. The notification popped: “23andMe predicts this is your brother.”
Searching Online
Renee searched for Justin online and found a profile that matched. She texted him on Facebook, and later told in an interview: “I wrote, ‘Hi, Justin. I think I may be your biological sister.'”
Getting In Touch
Justin recalled that moment as one of the best memories of his life. Without saying a word, they exchanged their phone numbers and heard each other’s voice for the first time. They couldn’t wait for any further and planned to meet in the next couple of weeks. Their reunion pictures are one thing you wouldn’t want to miss. But where was Justin all this time and why wasn’t he mentioned anywhere in the police records?
Same Story
Apparently, in March 1984, a boy named Hong Ki Hong was abandoned in the same area, two days before Renee’s abandonment. He was just two years old when a man found the baby crying outside Yongsan Theater. The baby was scared and was taken to the hospital and was later dropped at the adoption center.
Similar Fate
Just like Renee, Hong too was adopted by an American family from Salem, Oregon. His adoptive parents gave him a new name: Justin Kragt. The pair lived in the same country all these years but never got to know the truth. In fact, unlike his sister Justin had almost no memory of his childhood.
Found In A Magazine
Justin’s adoptive mother, Sue Maguire, said in an interview: “We actually found Justin in a magazine, with this cute little cherub of a face.” Although the family knew nothing of the baby’s past but some incidents told them the obvious reason for the little boy’s abandonment.
No Details At All
Justin’s adoption report said nothing about his family or siblings but his health condition soon gave his adoptive family the reason behind it. Just two years after his adoption, Justin was admitted in the ICU and doctors told that they have to operate him.
Health Issues
The little boy underwent open-heart surgery which later explained that Justin was born with congenital heart failure. Doctors were sure that this condition must have been explained at the time of his birth but nothing was mentioned in the adoption report. Justin grew up thinking that his parents left him because of the disease.
His Story
Justin later told in an interview: “I was content with what I thought was my story. And what I thought was that my mother may have been a prostitute. A young prostitute who had a baby out of wedlock”.
Biotech Company
23andMe is a genomics and biotechnology company. It is based in California, the same city where Justin was living. Over the years, this company became one of the best in its field of hierarchy and relations.
On Friend’s Advice
So, after listening to Justin’s story, one of his friends suggested him to get his DNA tested with the company and Justin saved some money for a few months before getting the test done. His friend motivated him to give it a last try to find out his relatives.
Fifth Cousin
In 2014, Justin eventually got the test done, at the time when he wasn’t even aware that he had an elder sister. “I was hoping to find a fifth cousin, as weird as that sounds,” he later said about his views while getting the test reports.
Waiting Eagerly
Finally, the siblings were about to meet at the Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon, and this moment was filmed by Justin’s friend. Justin was waiting for his elder blood sister at the airport. He was so eager to see her that he reached there an hour before her arriving time. So, the picture is of the moment when they met 34 years after their separation.
Reunion
It was an emotional moment for both of them. Justin wasn’t able to hold back his tears and said: “I always thought I was alone in the world, and I was content with that. Now you’re stuck with me.” No, its no Hollywood movie storyline but their real life.
Rush Of Emotions
Justin’s step-mother too was there to greet her son’s blood sister. Maguire said in an interview: “As a mom of an adoptive child, I could not have planned a better gift to give Justin than this.” She felt blessed that finally, her son won’t feel alone in the world.
Renee’s Take On The Reunion
Renne said in the video: “I knew about him all this time, I just never thought I’d meet him, so this is really amazing (…) We came from the same parents, which is blowing my mind because I’ve never known anybody related to me, and I never thought I would.”
Questions Unanswered
Yes, they reunited but that didn’t answer all their questions. Why didn’t their father chose to abandon them on the same day? Many other questions like that stayed unanswered as they have no way to contact their parents.
All They Asked For
The pair settled with the fact that knowing all the facts is not necessary. Rather they chose to be grateful that in a world so grand, they were eventually able to make their way back to each other. Undoubtedly, their story inspired many people to restart looking for their lost or unknown family members.
Interviews
Once the video was shared on the internet, it went viral overnight. People wanted to see them together once again. And several digital newspapers, as well as TV news channels, interviewed the reunited pair. Both Renee and Justin were more than supportive to share their experience and how it felt finding someone who has the same hierarchy as theirs.
Just A Call Away
Renee explained that even though they stay in different states, they always keep each other up-to-date about other’s life, she said: “Knowing that Justin is just a phone call, text or email away, or a short flight away, it has really changed the way that I see myself in the world.” Justin mentioned: “The first time that I saw my sister, my heart absolutely melted.”
Their Lives Today
They meet each other every now and then. They’ve found their peace knowing there is someone who’ll be by their side despite the distance. Recently, Justin visited to congratulate his sister when she had a baby girl. Hence, Justin was reunited with his sister and became an uncle a few months later.
Change For Better
At last, Justin said: “But it’s changing my life for the better and I’m very, very much overjoyed with her presence and the relationship we’re going to continue to build”. He says if his sister and he can get reunited even when they forgot each others name and existence, then anything can happen.
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