War shatters families, which is a terrible, terrible thing. Consider how many mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, and other family members have had to say goodbye for their own safety throughout any war in history. When circumstances make raising a child impossible, moms may place their kids for adoption.

Gerda Cole was one such mother. Due to the horrific circumstances of World War II, the Jewish mother was forced to give up her daughter for adoption in 1942.

The tiny girl, who had no idea who her biological mother was, was adopted by a German couple living in England. Gerda had only turned 18 at the time. Being a young mother is difficult enough. Consider the experience of being one during a world war.

Sonya Grist, the tiny girl, spent the remainder of her life with her adoptive parents.

She would then have Stephen Grist, who would play an important role in the rest of the story.

As a result, the Nazis turned another Jewish family’s life upside down. At the very least, this time they were both safe.

Stephen would run into Gerda again accidentally 80 years later.
Although it was not a world war, Brexit and COVID had an impact on Stephen’s family.

The next episode of the story would take place when Stephen filed for Austrian citizenship. Anyone who could prove that their relatives left Austria in the 1930s would be rewarded by the Austrian government. Stephen’s maternal grandparents (of which Gerda was one) were Austrian nationals at the time.

Not wanting to lose out on the opportunity, Stephen began researching as many ancestry websites as he could. There, he found some of the answers he was looking for, as well as ones he hadn’t expected to find.

He became acquainted with his grandmother’s stepson.
He stated he was applying for Austrian citizenship and required Gerda’s death certificate to complete the process.

To say the least, he was blown away by the response. The narrator explains, “You won’t find Gerda’s death certificate because she’s still alive and living in a nursing home in Canada.” Wow!
After all, they couldn’t just sit there with this information. Sonya’s mum had made it! And they owe it to her to pay her a visit. It’s been 80 years, for the love of God! Sonya commented on CBC’s airing of the story, “I want to fly to Canada right now and give her a big embrace.”

“I still don’t know much, and I’ve got a million questions for her.” – Sonya said

“The fact that her mother was still alive and she would have the opportunity to meet her threw us all for a loop.” – Stephen went on, ”

The reunion took place on her birthday, Saturday, May 7th. The event acted as both a birthday celebration and a reunion. It was a watershed moment for both mother and daughter.

“I had a very limited personal education, and this, combined with the fact that I was in the middle of a conflict, left me with little choice than to have my daughter Sonya adopted on the advice of the refugee committee.” – Reading from a piece of paper, Gerda stated.

However, it was owing to her grandson that she was able to see the daughter she never had the opportunity to raise. And they were able to enjoy their first few memories and smiles together. Gerda may be 98 years old now, but it’s better late than never, right?

Their first day together as mother and daughter revealed that they had a passion for music. Sonya was even a member of a steel band when she was younger, though she claims she wasn’t very good.

Check out the footage of their reunion below: