An Alberta man has taken to Facebook in hopes of finding his brother, who was given up for adoption before he was born.
“I have a brother I’ve never met,” Jay Haskin wrote in a Feb. 12 Facebook post that has since been shared more than 28,000 times. “I’ve seen a lot of these posts on Facebook and I figured why not try one.”
Haskin was 17 when he and his brother Aaron, two years his senior, learned they had another sibling. The boy, named Keith Darcy at birth, was born at Sturgeon General Hospital in St. Albert, Alta. on Nov. 30, 1978.
“It was a closed adoption, so she (Haskin’s mom) didn’t get any news on his name; she didn’t get any pictures,” Haskin, who lives in Calgary, said Thursday.
READ MORE: Regina woman reunited with adoptee brother after online search
Haskin now has two children — a son, 6, and a 17-month-old daughter. He said the bond that’s growing between his kids instilled a deeper sense of family in him, which was what spurred his curiosity about his long-lost half-brother.
“It really made me think that I may not have had a chance to grow up playing with Keith and getting to know him and stuff. But I can still get to know him as an adult and hopefully move forward from here making memories.”
The search for Keith has also started to strengthen the bond between Haskin and Aaron. Haskin said he and his brother weren’t very close growing up.
“It’s been strained between him and I for years, but we’re actually talking a lot more now. We’re getting along great and it’s all because we’re trying to find Keith. So I’m hoping that if we do find Keith, it’ll actually kind of round off our family and make it whole.”
Since posting his plea on Facebook early last week, Haskin said he’s received several tips but no solid leads just yet.
“I have had people go, ‘This guy was in Edmonton and he’s the same age,’ and I check into it and he was born in Quebec. And I’ve had people tell me, ‘This guy looks like you – you should look into this, maybe he’s your brother,’ and I check and he’s six years older than Keith would be,” Haskin said.
“I’ve been following up on every single one just in case it is him.”
READ MORE: Former foster child gives back after finding adoptive family
Haskin has joined a Facebook group on which adoptees seek out family members. He’s also working with his mom to fill out paperwork to make his family’s search public record. He’s hopeful he and Keith will one day be reunited.
“The more people hear or read about my story they might be able to be like, ‘Oh, that birthday is the same as my husband. Maybe that’s him’… and then somebody will message me and it’ll actually be him.”
Listen below: Jay Haskin chats with Calgary radio station News Talk 770 about his quest to find his brother.
Comments