The first time I saw Ximena, I wasn’t prepared for it at all. I was on a call to my cousin Katy, who lives next door, and she suggested we Face-Timed. It was mayhem, with Ximena crying, and my kids waving the Chilean flag in the background. But it was spontaneous, and not at all strained. My Spanish isn’t really up to scratch, but I told her, ‘I love you’.  

We’ve spoken since and I wrote a letter saying I’d never blamed her for giving me away, and to thank her for what she’d done for me. She sent me a video telling me she had no choice, that times were different then and she wanted me to forgive her. It’s heart-breaking to watch.

Once my Spanish is better, I’ll go to Chile. I want more than anything to be able to give her a hug and tell her there’s nothing to forgive. Seeing her smile is the most important thing to me, because it means she will have forgotten the pain, and is ready to embrace being my mum. 

Then we’ll be able to look forward to the future together.

Katherine is a project worker for IAC The Centre for Adoption. To find out more about the charity or make a donation see icacentre.org.uk