An Adoption Story (S1): Iván's Discovery of His Birth Family Links in Russia and Armenia

[@IvánGastañaga]

Thank you Alex for your work and efforts to make this Adoption Story coming all the way to Chicago!

[@alexgilbert]

Thank you Iván for sharing your story with me!

[@benburns5995]

Ivan, thanks so much for sharing your story through Alex. Can only imagine the excitement you had by finding your birth parents. So glad that you have had such a successful life, are now married and living in Chicago, IL.

[@liliadanilova6255]

@@alexgilbertсубтитры русские жду(

[@janevalentine6391]

I love these stories, so much 😊🎉.

[@alexgilbert]

@@liliadanilova6255 Привет! Русские субтитры должны быть ))

[@jimjam8949]

Wonderful account of one man's search. He makes such an important point for everyone regardless of whether you are adopted or not. It's important to understand where your from. It helps you understand your own life and others with a more open mind.

[@christinekeefe9004]

What an interesting story! Ivan resembles his birth grandma quite a bit. It was lovely to see the pictures of him with his sister. It looks like they have a great connection. I hope he gets to meet his birth father in person someday.

[@NanetteWoolston]

Yes, Ivan looks Spanish, so it's great that he didn't experience any issues with looking different in Santander, and I think it's wonderful that he has a wonderful and caring family!

[@laurabalderas3879]

Tiene rasgos de Armenia!

[@htx_enrix1931]

I was born in 2004 in Krasnodar Russia and adopted at 11 months and raised in Texas, USA. Now at 20 I very recently started thinking abt my roots and birth family heavy. I have my birth mom’s full name, birthday, and birth city. It’d be a dream of mine to be able to meet anybody in my family whether it’s my actual birth mom or cousins or just anything. I’ve been very emotional recently thinking about it

[@britneyfanvideosfl]

Have you contacted Alex? Maybe he can help?

[@codename495]

Maybe if you can link up With a Russian language teacher at one of the many collages and they might help you search Russian social media? Worth a look.

[@jmk1962]

Do some DNA tests on different sites and you will match with relatives and as you already know your birth mothers name that will really help. I didn't know either of my birth parents names or anything about them at all, and I instantly matched with my birth fathers sister who showed up as my aunt. She didn't know about me at all as my birth father never told her about me and they lived in different countries. I also worked out who my birth mother was from DNA matches with some cousins years before having it all confirmed when I finally got access to my file when the new law was passed in Ireland at the end of 2022.

[@raya9283]

Iván is so handsome and confident. Besides, he looks 100% as if he was the biological child of his adoptive mother and father!

[@psenisen]

Our Heavenly Father does marvelous things.

[@anitadailey1114]

I was always told that I was my step mother's daughter. Me more so instead of her own daughter. It's all mannerisms.

[@ravenregards]

I would never have guessed his nationality from his physical appearance, but he looks so much like a guy I know here in the states who came over from the Netherlands.

[@janmarchand7294]

The Mother in me wants to embrace all of these adoptees in a huge hug.

[@kficandothis]

Wow! What a precious story! Thank you so very much for taking us with you on your journey. My parents adopted 3 boys. One was a cousin of mine, the youngest of six children who didn't know where their father was when their mother died of cancer. I was 7 and my cousin 9. We were from a tiny farming community in the middle of the US. My cousin and I became the very best of friends. He now had a little sister that he loved and spoiled. Then he died of leukemia when he was 12 and I 10. I still miss him to this day. Two years later my parents took in 2 boys that desperately needed a home and later adopted. They had been raised on the streets and had to steal to eat. They were severely abused physically and emotionally and they were on either side of me in age. They ended up severely abusing me and would make it worse if I would tell on them. I suffered greatly. BUT I am grateful for all my experiences in life. All of these experiences shaped me into the woman who I am today. I even see how God brought me through it all. Since God sent his son to reconcile us to the Father, I learned how to reach out to all of my family to also work very hard to reconcile all of us to have a good relationship in the end. We are all closer now. It has taken a lot of work and help from counselors but love and especially learning to love like Christ has made this journey exciting and special. (Of course if the abuse had not stopped I could not have continued in relationship! BUT they responded positively and grew a lot!) Read God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew. It shaped my life. Also books by Richard Wurmbrand.

[@carlapaz8722]

He llorado del minuto 1 al minuto 33 con la historia de Ivan. Le deseo todo lo mejor. Gracias por compartirla

[@nandinos]

Wow, what a rollercoaster for Ivan! My heart goes out to him for this challenging journey. I'm sure there is still more to discover. Best wishes Ivan. Thanks for sharing your story. And thanks for this series, Alex. Looking forward to the next one!

[@ellenm8778]

What a wonderful story of your existence I'm thankful of your adoptive parents rasing you with love and care and you grew up to be a good person as you are now so count your blessings all your beautiful family❤

[@dianapulido1807]

We, adoptees, go through a roller coaster of emotions whether we know we are adopted from the start or learn by chance when we are older. I learned when I was 60 years old. My adoptive parents never told me and I never would have even suspected that I was not their biological child. I have found my biological mother's side of the family. She has passed so have my adoptive parents. I don't know and will never know if they knew who she was. Anyway I'm know searching for my birth father and that side of the family. It is hard to deal with the all the emotions.

[@maya-dn9fl]

If I was adopted I would not want to know. Maybe they think it was best not telling you.

[@jerrilynhenson9024]

Oh wow. 🙏 for success..

[@leonip9142]

I hope you can find the answers you need.

[@jmk1962]

I'm adopted and always knew. I can't imagine what it's like to find out aged 60, that's awful, because your entire life is a lie. That must really rock your world and sense of who you are and who you can trust. I think that was very selfish of your adoptive parents to not tell you the truth. I hope you succeed in your search to find out where you came from. xx

[@angelamrivera7365]

Is hard roller coaster, hard to explain. Thanks God for my two boys and a beautiful daughter. A Biggggg Blessing to me Day by Day. In side my heart through my life is hard to explain, but at the same time, gratitude for Blessings Day by Day. I wish I found my birth family. I am old, provably they are not alive. I try but not results. Was very hard. Until today is really hard emotionally.

[@hannesvanniekerk499]

What a beautiful, wonderful story- thank you for sharing. Will be praying for breakthrough.

[@stellaunger8568]

Very interesting and emotional. Thank you for sharing ❤️😁

[@alexgilbert]

Thank you for watching! :)

[@charmees6637]

Golly gee! He looks like his grandma her skin is beautiful and she looks so young. So wonderful to meet part of his Armenian family. His birth Mother looks a bit standoffish I guess she’s had a hard life. Your amazing Ivan 🤩

[@IvánGastañaga]

Thank you!

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

Ivan, you are a wonderful person

[@IvánGastañaga]

Thank you Annette

[@ramonam9251]

Ivan has a brave heart❤

[@SMcCaskill]

That birth mother didn't look very welcoming.... I'm glad he got to meet the other members of his family.

[@codename495]

It cannot be easy to meet eh baby you gave up, no matter what the reason for making that descision.

[@maggieadams8600]

Thank you for sharing Ivan's story, and I am glad to learn that there's help for others in his position; it's importance is beyond measure.

[@jmk1962]

What a lovely well balanced insight into an adoptees journey in finding put where he came from. I hate the sensationalised "happy re-union" programs that are usually shown on TV, and loved by people with no experience of being adopted or the impact it can have on an adoptees life if they dont know where they came from or anything about their birth families. This is far more realistic as a lot of adoptees like myself face rejection from their birth mother which even as a confident 62 year old still hurts when you are made to feel like something she is ashamed of when none of it was my fault. I truly hope Ivans mother has a change of heart and realises what a fantastic man he is. I would be proud to call Ivan my son and she is missing put on getting to know this lovely man.

[@MegaVictorygirl]

Incredible story! Best of luck in the future Ivan.

[@loud_hailer6240]

This is a great video! Ivan was so pleasant to hear and open and honest about his story

[@riverpeshin2771]

Amazing story and everything so well said. I love hearing new adoption stories and the clarity that all this can bring to us adoptees!!

[@siobhan7798]

You are both great decent people , doing great work

[@alexgilbert]

Thank you!

[@NanetteWoolston]

Wow, Ivan's journey of finding his origins, culture, and family, was extensive, and I really appreciate him taking us through this process of what an adoptee goes through when searching for family. Thank you!

[@margarethaengelbrecht4934]

Ih😂

[@ceciliavallejos9887]

Thank you Alex, I have been following you for some time, now you bring us Ivan.... Each and every story is as unique yet different from family to family, but all very charged with emotion. We all need to honour our DNA, find our progenitors, our ancestors... I too brought my daugther to Madrid, then to the United States in 1996. Our story was quite uneventful in that we look so much alike, people react surprised when they learn she is adopted; but like the many adoptees, and because of health issues, she has already started searching for her roots.... Gracias Ivan, por la interesantisima trayectoria de tu vida, tus encuentros emocionantes, y ahora me has despertado interes de ver mas sobre tus trabajos de carrera. Los mejores deseos para Nikki, y para ti de parte nuestra!

[@chnalvr]

Such a beautiful, challenging and real story. Thanks to the Internet, this type of personal investigation is easier and more possible than ever before. The non-judgmental approach is admirable but not always emotionally completely possible. I can see that one must feel and deal with their own emotions about what biological parents and family members did in the past and perhaps what they are doing now.

[@IvánGastañaga]

You are totally right! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[@nobillclinton]

Great content. Godspeed, Alex Gilbert.

[@StaffanSwede]

Thank you for another interesting story. So many wise and intelligent things are said in this series that it takes a lot of time and effort to let it all soak in. I'm very grateful to you for creating these videos and equally grateful to the adoptees for sharing their stories with us.

[@Gords1606]

Wonderful story - thanks for sharing

[@Peter-jk1lt]

An excellent effort and story Alex. Great work Ivan.

[@GaztaPilot]

Nice documentary about your hard work behind your story. Proud of you Iván, your little brother David.

[@IvánGastañaga]

Gracias David!!

[@siobhan7798]

Thank you Ivan, amazing story, thank you Alex

[@NigelBarker-c5e]

Wonderfull story.

[@alexgilbert]

Thank you for watching! :)

[@Dandelionfleur]

Heart warming!

[@sandragastanaga6142]

Que pasada impresionante el trabajo !! Emocionante y tu solo lo conseguiste después de mucho empeño y sacrificio muchas horas días y meses de espera y por ello tienes esta pedazo de historia que nos emociona cada momento a pesar de ser en otro idioma TE QUEREMOS MUCHO ❤TU HERMANA Y TU SOBRINA

[@IvánGastañaga]

Gracias a ti!

[@noreenmadden3028]

I hope that Alex and his wife have a long and happy life, this is one hell of a story.❤ Noreen Readett Australia 🦘

[@marveadler980]

So happy for you Ivan and thanks to you Alex for helping him. I am also adopted and live in the Chicago area and my story is a good outcome one. Alex the next time you come to Chicago please let me know so we may be able to meet.

[@alexgilbert]

Thank you!

[@texasgina]

Hey Alex! Looking forward to watching this.

[@LauraG313]

Wow this was so well done! Thank you for sharing his story. ❤🙏🏻❤️

[@psenisen]

Very well done.

[@psenisen]

Am so excited for all of you. You have had and have a wonderful experience (with patience) and a good healthy attitude. This is your story and I commend you as well as all others that have and do this kind of work to find their origins as well as the gentleman who is dedicated to helping others in their quest as he has, his own. He has helped you with understanding of other's feelings and possible situations. I commend you all in this journey for the love, care and sensitivity of how it is handled .

[@antirefo870]

Amazing! Alex and Ivan God bless!

[@carolg.6838]

What great detail and story. Such a brave adventure in finding your family to get to this point of meeting so many.

[@paulafiol6536]

Historias como estas emocionan yo soy adoptada de Rusia viene a Mallorca con 9 meses ❤

[@WolfennFaLL]

He seems like a great guy, i wouldn't mind inviting him and his wife to a bbq.

[@claudiaaleixo9899]

How brave! Congratulations and much happiness for your future and for your ALL wide Family ❤️

[@megoodrow6299]

Ivan-thank you for demonstrating so eloquently “the drive to know about our past family “ that will make you able to jump through impossible hurdles to find the truth & become aware of others who try to derail you” support people is essential-

[@IvánGastañaga]

Thank you!

[@ttv.s_cb6263]

Love you work, inspiring 😊

[@Razhad123-r9d]

Wow such a lovely story well done Sir Ivan❤❤❤

[@jlpack62]

Upon meeting Ivan for the first time, I can't help but wonder if his appearance reminded his mother of his father, and if that maybe made the initial meeting uncomfortable for her?

[@angelamrivera7365]

This video is a Blessing to me. Thank you for this channel and your adaptive videos and stories. I was able to find my family. I m old, provably they are not alive at this point. Thanks God for my two boys and a daughter, they are a Blessing Day by Day. Even at my age is hard to deal with sadness or emotional emptiness many times.

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

Hola Ivan spasibo спасибо thank you Ivan.

[@colleenwadley8543]

Super program.

[@lorettajones6120]

This is excellent!!!!!

[@oscarcobogonzalez2140]

Me alegra ver hasta donde llegaste ivan! Compañeros de clase en el instituto, espero que todo te vaya bien

[@IvánGastañaga]

Oscar! que bueno leerte por aquí. Abrazos)

[@floaretudorache9287]

Beautiful people

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

Shalom Ivan

[@gelly5950]

Alex, you got the lookalike! I can’t believe how much you look like your father. ❤

[@carlosandresgutierrezperez7321]

Que bueno primo Iván

[@nexdream7655]

Thank you

[@gelly5950]

His sister was so selfless, what a special lady.

[@sonyasassy5900]

Ivan really resembles Carlo from @Carlo&Sarah blogs. Really thought it was him.

[@IvánGastañaga]

Hahaha, is not the first time someone has asked me if we're relatives!

[@angelaberni8873]

He looks so very Spanish.

[@paulafiol6536]

Me encanta la historia yo también soy adoptada de Rusia vine con 9 meses

[@debbietrabeau3764]

He looks just like his dad

[@rrachelalma]

Wow.... You resemble your grandma a lot🎉👌🤗

[@NenaMullenix-z3x]

He is a nice looking man

[@jerrilynhenson9024]

How did he end up in Chicago? WOW.

[@codename495]

Work, married to an American…lots of reasons.

[@nuriafernandezaparicio6195]

Guao....no sé cómo ha surgido esta pagina en mi KZbin, de repente veo a Iván...y es Iván! Completamente confundida y sin conocimiento previo, he visto el vídeo, toda la inmensa información que has recopilado, la necesidad de saber de dónde vienes que provoco el conocimiento de tus padres biológicos, en fin, ahora pongo respuesta a muchas cuestiones a medio responder, a ciertos silencios que no comprendi, da gracias de tener a Nikki a tu lado y en esta aventura de autoconocimiento también está tu origen en España, abrazalo

[@IvánGastañaga]

Gracias Nuria!

[@nuriafernandezaparicio6195]

@IvánGastañaga un fuerte abrazo Iván! Cuidate mucho y ven por España...

[@suzannakoizumi8605]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@alexgilbert]

Thank you for watching!

[@de170668]

He and his grandmother are very similar.

[@ordiekelleher2641]

My boys always have known.😊

[@banemattiebrahaspat4902]

Very nice

[@brendaestrada1782]

my mom found out she was adopted at 18 and had a nervous breakdown because of it :/

[@codename495]

I’m sorry she suffered. It should’ve never been kept from her .

[@annabondaruk4583]

Wow! Wonderful story. I like that Ivan is able not to judge his biological parents, I think only mature person can able to go beyond judging. I think your biological mom was very brave to acknowledge and open this small tiny door of possibility to find the rest of your biological family. I say brave, because most probably, no-one in her recent family knew about your existence. And even though people in Russia and post-soviet republics know how difficult times were back then, people tend to put blame and all responsibility on woman for not keeping the child and not raising it. So by opening that door for you she had to admit to what she did in the past and let other people (like your half brother) know about it. She did it for you. At least this.

[@coeurenpoche]

Where can I watch the ful episodes? I saw a few on the channel "Only Human" but I'm missing more

[@J-S.I]

Every time I watch the story of an adopted person the verse from the Quran comes in my mind. My father was adopted… long story. He never had chance to find out who his real parents were because didn’t have the courage to ask his adopted parents for the information. He didn’t want to seen ungrateful or come across as disrespectful to them. Very sad . In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful . Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter (and care)? And He found thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance. And He found thee in need, and made thee independent. Therefore, treat not the orphan with harshness, Nor repulse the petitioner (unheard); But the bounty of the Lord - rehearse and proclaim

[@shorty9022]

Bless you 🙏💙

[@paullough4946]

I cannot be the only person to use the term "Abandañado". It is a mashup of Abandanado and Dañado. Abandoned and Damaged...

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

I am not from Galway though, but about 46 kilometers from Gort, Co. Galway, bur not Galway City., as that is a bit futher way..

[@IvánGastañaga]

It was Galway the first time I met the director, Alex Gilbert, what a beautiful city and country.

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

I actually studied Russan in 1991-1993 and again in 1994-1995 along with German, European Studies and Business.

[@jerrilynhenson9024]

I’m always jumping the gu- so to speak.. but his bio mom doesn’t look happy in the least in the picture with his bio dad…

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

Do you ever get stories of adiptees from Ireland.

[@Monkey_Paws]

❤

[@DonnaP-k4s]

Can’t imagine being 60 years old finding out you were adopted, what was your reaction?

[@leonilagutiza1035]

Prince William and Princess Catherine are the true royals that rightfully project the good, the beautiful, the best respected image of UK 's monarchy, beside Princess Royal Anne. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@lorellasmuts7330]

Hi Ivan. U look just like the Italian Husband Carlo of one of the u tube influencers from New York. Please look him up his the splitting image of you.

[@codename495]

They do look alike don’t they!

[@indigobunting2431]

MyHeritage confused me. Two German parents, less than a quarter "western Europe."

[@nikavishneva7469]

Эти армянские " мужчины"... очень часто заводят детей " на стороне" со славянскими денщинами-- будучи женатыми уже на армянской женщине!!

[@MadeleineJohnston-yr9yy]

FOR IT IS WRITTEN, " JESUS CHRIST IS LORD TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER , PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM "

[@charmin9050]

Armenian roots help to look more spanish I guess

[@elvirahkershaw]

I wish I could find my mom from russia. like and help me!!!

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

I hsce never visited Russia

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

Russia is too cold for me, unfortunately.

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

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