Mother reunites with the child she thought died at birth THIRTY YEARS ago – and discovers her lost daughter is now a son with a wife and baby
- Tina Bejarano found her long-lost child Kristin through a DNA test
- Bejarano’s mother told her Kristin had died just minutes after birth
- Now Kristin has transitioned from female to male and has a husband and baby
- Bejarano and her husband rejoice at the reunion and embrace Kristin
A mother has reunited with the child she thought had died at birth nearly thirty years ago.
Tina Bejarano of Los Banjos, California gave birth when she was just 17. Her mother initially told her she could not keep the baby and took it from her. The next day she informed Bejarano that her the child had died soon after the birth as it had been sick, KMPH-TV reported.
Bejarano and her husband Eric Gardere, whom she met soon after giving birth, continued to celebrate the baby’s birthday every year, in solemn commemoration.
Then last year, a DNA test showed Bejarano that she had a previously unknown relative – her daughter Kristin had not died, but is alive and now a transgender man.
Tina Bejarano and her husband Eric Gardere were shocked when a DNA test showed that she had an unknown relative – a child that she thought had died at birth nearly 30 years ago
Bejarano’s child Kristin (left and right) is now living in New Jersey. He is a transgender man and has a wife and child
Unbeknownst to Bejarano, Kristin had been adopted just five days after birth and grew up in Las Vegas.
Now, Kristin is 29 years old and living with a wife and their own young baby in New Jersey.
‘I don’t care. I don’t care if he’s in transition. I don’t care if he hasn’t transitioned. I don’t care. That’s my kid,’ Bejarano told the Fox affiliate.
‘We’re just glad he’s alive,’ Gardere added.
Bejarano and her husband Eric Gardere (together left and right) met soon after she gave birth to Kristen. They believed the baby had died and commemorated the child’s birthday every year
Kristin (center) is now married with a wife and baby, all living together in New Jersey
Bejarano was overjoyed to discover that Kristin (above) was alive and well after 30 years
Although Gardere is not Kristin’s biological father, he began dating Bejarano months after she gave birth, and the couple went on to have five other children together.
Now, Gardere considers Kristin his own son.
‘We’ve been communicating with Kristen for a few months now. He calls me Dad, I call him Son, I text him every morning,’ said Gardere.
Kung fu expert and bodyguard Eric Gardere (above) has embraced Kristin as his own son
Kristin (right) and his wife and baby all plan to visit Kristin’s parents in California in November
Kristin (right) was shocked to discover his biological parents through the DNA test
Bejarano has treasured the family photos that Kristin has sent from New Jersey.
‘Looking at him just makes me want to cry,’ said Bejarano.
Now, Kristin and his wife and baby all plan to visit Bejarano and Gardere in Los Banos in November.
The family are sharing their story in order to encourage other families not to give up hope of reuniting with lost loved ones.