Moment man who was left as a baby finally meets a biological relative

This is the emotional moment a man who was abandoned when he was just two weeks old finally met one of his biological relatives, a first cousin – and shockingly, she was also left as a baby on the steps of a church.

Thomas Yeo, 59, of Nottingham, was found in the waiting room of Reading Station on October 15, 1965. He was left well-dressed and tucked under a bench with a spare nappy and bottle. 

Growing up, he had always known he was happily adopted, but it was only when he became a father himself that Thomas decided to find out more about his start in life – and was shocked discover he had been abandoned as a two-week-old.

He enlisted the help of ITV‘s Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace, with the team eventually discovering the identity of Thomas’ first cousin, Martina Evenden.

Astonishingly, Martina explained how she was found on the steps of a church in Dublin two years after Thomas, in 1967, after being left there when she was only a few hours old.

In emotional scenes, the pair met one another for the first time, with Thomas sweetly saying: ‘Even if we don’t find anything, we’ve found each other at least.’  

Extraordinarily, Thomas started his search with a description of the woman thought to be his mother, with a police report from 1965 saying witnesses saw a woman at around 3pm that day carrying a baby. 

She was described as ’25-years, five foot eight or nine and wearing a full-length brown coat and a brown hat.’ 

It was reported she had bought a ticket to Bristol, but when police searched the train, she was nowhere to be found. This was all the information Thomas had about the start of his life before asking the Long Lost Family team for help.

Thomas was aware that he was adopted growing up but was clueless to the fact that he was a foundling; it was only when he had his own children that the 59-year-old decided to explore his family tree.

He told the ITV programme: ‘A social worker came to see me, and she gave me a sort of sucker-punch that said, “actually, you’re a foundling.” 

‘It was just a total shock because, I knew I was adopted, but it almost meant, that’s full stop. I have a birth certificate that says, “mother unknown and father unknown.” I don’t have anything at all.’

Thankfully, the team of researchers eventually found Martina in Dublin, who also knew nothing about her biological family.

She said she was left at only a few hours old, adding: ‘I was wrapped in a black mac coat, blood still on my body. Abandoned. There was nothing else, nothing else with me.’ Martina was taken inside the church and baptized. 

Returning to the church as an adult, Martina revealed: ‘I’m actually proud of my birth mother. She left me in a safe place to be found. And that means an awful lot to me. Because I’m here and I’m still alive. Thanks to her.’

Martina was adopted and grew up in Dublin, not far from where she was left. As soon as she could, at 16, she tried to look for her birth parents, and that’s when she found out there was no information about them.

Thomas and Martina met in Dublin, with Martina saying: ‘I never thought this day would come. This is the closest thing I’ve ever had.’

She said: ‘I’ve never met anybody who has been in the same boat as me or who is biologically related to me.’

The pair attempted to work out how their parents were related and continued the search for information.

‘Even if we don’t find anything, we’ve found each other at least,’ Thomas said, after the cousins shared a hug.

The search for the pair’s family continued, with the team revealing that Martina’s birth father, Joseph, was the brother of Thomas’ birth mother, Margaret (Peggy). 

Peggy – who never had any other children and moved to Australia – has sadly died and there is no record of Joseph since the early 80s with the family believing that he has also died.

The siblings came from a very conservative family, ruled by strict values of the church, according to Maria, the cousin of Thomas and Martina, who was vital in giving information about the family to co-host Nicky Campbell. 

The team also discovered Thomas’ birth father, Stephen, who has sadly died, and so has Martina’s birth mother, who was, strangely, also called Peggy.

But both had more children, giving Thomas and Martina half siblings, who were all keen to meet the pair.

Thomas’ father was married to another woman at the time of his birth, which potentially explains why his birth mother felt she couldn’t keep him. 

Meanwhile, Martina’s birth mother had three other children before her, all born in mother and baby homes. 

Martina was shocked and saddened at the news, saying: ‘Maybe she thought that by leaving me she thought she was saving me. She didn’t want me to go into one of those homes.’

She was given a photo of her mother and the news that her eldest sister was going to meet her, off camera.

‘Mother at last, rest in peace, at least I have a photo of you now. God I’ve just wanted this for so long, I can’t believe it,’ admitted Martina.

Elsewhere, Thomas was told how his birth mother was a nanny and was given photos of his birth parents before heading to Ireland, where he met three of his paternal half siblings.

‘It must have been terrible for her if she loved children and not to be able to keep her own child. It’s only sadness that I’d like to have told her that I’ve had a really brilliant life,’ he said.

On meeting his siblings and cousin, he added: ‘It’s amazing, really, to have all this family that I never knew about.’

Martina, meanwhile, said: ‘I’ve been through so many brick walls, but the brick wall got knocked down, found what I’ve been looking for. I can actually go and tell people now who I am.

‘I need to thank Thomas for this because until he started his search, that’s where the link got to me, and I wouldn’t be here finding out all I’ve found but because of him, I have.’

Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace is on Mon 10th, Tues 11th and Weds 12th June at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX