50 Years After: Brother and Sister Finally Reunited

brother and sister abandoned brother and sister reunited siblings parents abandoned

By Staff Reporter , Parent Herald Jun 03, 02:01 am

Photo: (Photo : Photo by Mike from Pexels)

Siblings are like instant best friends. However, not knowing if you have one or not is a stressful thought to ponder every day. David McBride, 58 years old, and Helen Ward, 52 years old, felt this way for the past 50 years.

David and Helen are siblings who were both abandoned by their parents.

Just recently, they have stopped wondering about their roots as the brother and sister are reunited through ITV's show, Long Lost Family, Born Without Trace.

Parents Abandoned both siblings in a red tartan bag

In 1962, David was found in a bag placed in front of a car in a driveway. The woman who found David saw him in the front seat of the vehicle.

On the other hand, Helen was found by a truck driver in a phone box in 1968. She was also found in a red checked bag.

Both stories of the foundlings were featured in newspapers in 1962 and 1968. However, no one saw the connection between the two until a group of researchers from Long Lost Family, Born Without Trace, found something.

Why were the siblings abandoned?

According to the show's research, the two were abandoned due to religion and stigma, something, which the siblings were relieved to know.

David and Helen were born to a Protestant father and a Catholic mother. During the time that the two were born, a deep sectarian conflict was existing.

Their birth parents were in an affair for 40 years. The father of David and Helen was married with 14 children in Dublin, while their mother is living in Northern Ireland.

Brother and Sister Reunited After 50 Years

The reunion of David and Helen was heartwarming. David was first seen waiting in a room until Helen came in. The siblings broke down in tears while in a hug. After several years of looking for their roots, the two finally get to meet each other.

In the show, the siblings countered how they were abandoned in precisely the same circumstances. The two are also happy that they got to live lives that are well looked after.

Even though they were separated for 50 years, they are still grateful that they are given a chance to meet. Now that the brother and sister reunited, they do not intend to waste the opportunity to make up for the years that were gone.

David lives in Birmingham while Helen is in Dublin. However, they do not mind the distance to spend time knowing more about each other.

What happened to the parents of the reunited brother and sister?

David and Helen discovered that their parents have already passed away.

Their mother died at the age of 90, in 2017. Even though the siblings now know that they were abandoned because of pressure, they are still sad that they were unable to meet her.

The father of the two died in 1993 at the age of 82. The siblings thought that their parents must have loved each other, considering that they were in an affair for 30 or 40 years.