Daughter finds her biological mother almost four decades later

AS an 18-year-old girl, in 1993, a Birch Acres resident , Annarie Betts (née Schlebusch), embarked on a search for a part of her history that finally ended this year on February 5.

Annarie was born Karina Visser but was adopted when she was three months old by Kempton Park couple, Joe and Anna Schlebusch, and she was named Annarie Schlebusch and changed her surname when she married Richard Betts.

“I had prayed to God that before I turn 40, I could find my biological mother. I knew this would be the biggest and greatest gift I would get before my fortieth birthday,” she said.

On that fateful Wednesday morning in February she made what she deems as the most important call of her life.

“During my search for mommy, I joined a group on Facebook known as Adoption Angels and they have been a blessing in my search. They were able to advise me to obtain my vault certificate which would make my search easier.

“In January I was able to get my vault certificate and with that and other information, Adoption Angels were able to help me track her down and they sent me her number,” she recalled.

She describes herself as petrified as she made the call to her mother for the first time – not knowing what to expect. She simply kept on praying and hoping for the best. She discovered that her mother had moved from Johannesburg and had lived in Durban for the past 32 years.

“I told her who I was and that I found her name, Veronica Visser, on my vault certificate. She just shouted Karina and started to cry. Despite hearing the sound of her voice for the first time that day, there was an instant bond that hadn’t been lost over all this time,” said Annarie.

Her mother immediately contacted her brother, Jan Visser, who surprisingly lives in the same suburb as Annarie to tell him the good news.

“I couldn’t believe that uncle Jan lived so close to me and my family and we didn’t know each other all this time. He organised for her to come up and we spent three glorious weeks together from March 3.

“Our reunion was held at Jesus Disciples where pastors Colin and Barbara Bam have been my spiritual pillars. The Visser family had a family get together at Barnard stadium on March 11 to officially welcome me into the family. I was so touched by this day where I got to meet my family for the first time,” she smiled.

As if this serendipitous meeting with her mother and her family was not enough to fulfil her biggest wish, it seemed fate had more in store for Annarie.

“I entered a competition sponsored by Cardies and Popimedia where the winner had to write in and say what they would like to do for their mom on Mother’s Day. Having just reunited with my mother, I wanted to do something special for her as it would be our first Mother’s Day together,” she explained.

She shared her story of adoption and reunion after almost 40 years and it seems her tale moved all the judges and she was selected as the winner.

“I shared my story of how I’d grown up in a loving family with my adoptive family but I still never stopped with my search for my mother and how I was reunited with her recently. I asked if they could organise her a gift voucher as a little something from me. What they did for us exceeded my every dream and expectation,” she beamed.

When they called to tell her she had won, she thought she had just won the voucher for her mom and would send that to her in Durban.

“They had done more than just the simple voucher. I was flown to Durban on May 2 to visit her and take her back to Kempton Park to enjoy the rest of the prize with me. My mom does not fly, so we drove back to Johannesburg, which meant I got to spend six hours on the road with her. We chatted all the way, catching up on all these years,” smiled Betts.

What Cardies had planned for Betts and her mother was something that neither of them would never forget. They printed poster-like photographs of Betts’ milestones, each with a small description of that stage of her life so her mother could walk through her daughter’s life and all the defining moments she was unable to witness.

“It happened at Laerskool Impala where it all began with me. I started school there and so the school was kind enough to let us use the venue for this amazing day. Each of my close friends and family held up a photograph and my mom could see and read about my first day at school, learn about the family that raised me and also about my own family.

“She literally walked through the last 40 years of my life. We ended the weekend with a lovely meal with everyone at African Rock Lodge in Van Riebeeck Park and they still threw in a voucher for my mom,” she said.

Although her family never made her feel as if she was adopted and did not fit in with them, her parents told her early in her life that she was adopted.

“My late mom, Anna, said to me that I may have not been born from her like my siblings but I was born on her heart and it was enough to make me feel safe and secure.

“Despite that I still wanted to find my mother. We lived in Kempton Park and when I was 10, we moved to Klerksdorp. I came back to Kempton eight years later to not only train as a nurse but also start my search for my mother,” she added.

Her father gave her all the documents she would need to begin her search. It was difficult because every time she thought she had a lead, it would take her to another dead end and she would have to start from scratch.

“Her last known address was in Pretoria but the reason we battled to find her all this time was that she had not only moved from that address, she had left the province and moved to Durban in 1982. I never gave up hope because I knew I would find her one day. I kept praying and believed we would be reunited, even though it took 22 years,” she said.

This led her to start Adoptive Children Support Group, her own support group on Facebook, where she helps other people who, like her, are looking to be reunited with their biological families but are unsure how to even begin.

“I was blessed to have the support I had throughout my search. I want to do the same for others by being there to support, encourage and advise them as they take this step in their lives.

“My story is about hope and faith and believing in miracles. Finding my mother has been my miracle from God and I hope others will be inspired and believe they should never give up hope on waiting for their miracles,” she beamed.