Texas Firefighter Stolen at Birth Shares Fascinating Story About His Family

Before Houston, Texas firefighter discovered the truth about his birth family, Tyler Graf said he was just a regular 39-year-old man with a family.

Thankfully, he'd been adopted by a loving family as a little guy--which is a true blessing, of course. However, he had told ABC13 that after becoming a father himself he began wondering about where his story began...

"I was adopted by a very loving, caring family," Graf said. "I think it was just knowing that my story did start before I was adopted. So, it's kind of like missing the first five minutes of the movie." ~Tyler Graf

As the Houston, Texas firefighter continued his search, he finally received a call that would change his life forever.

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As it turns out, Tyler Graf was actually stolen from his mother after he was born. As shocking as that may be, he wasn't the only one.

You may have heard about the practice of "coercive adoptions" that took place in Chile throughout the 1970s and 80s. At the time, a dictator named Augusto Pinochet was in power. During this time, ABC13 reports "thousands of babies were taken and trafficked around the world through a complex network that included hospitals, the Catholic church, and the Chilean government."

And the most disturbing part of this may be that it wasn't a criminal element engaging in this. It has been reported that physicians, midwives, social care workers, and even judges were aware at the time.

And what about the American families who adopted these babies? Allegedly, most of them did not realize their adopted baby was "stolen."

Tyler Graf's birth mother is a woman named Hilda Quezada Godoy who said once she realized her baby had lived, she wanted to "scream." She'd been told her baby had died after his birth. She shared how she'd wondered if he'd be well cared for. Thankfully, at least in Tyler's case, he was.

Thankful for Tyler Graf and his entire family. Do you have an adoption story you'd like to share? Send me a message at tara.holley@townsquaremedia.com.