After nearly 40 years of separation, the National Tracing Office of the Croatian Red Cross helped reunite a father and son, who had been separated due to armed conflict in Lebanon.
This emotional life story moved all the staff of the Croatian Red Cross involved in the family reunification process, as they shared on their official pages.
The father, the seeker, had lived in Croatia as a young student and returned to his native Lebanon after finishing his studies, a country soon engulfed by armed conflict.
His son stayed with his mother in the Republic of Croatia, which was shortly afterward affected by the Homeland War. Initially, they were able to maintain contact, but due to wartime circumstances, all communication was abruptly cut off.
Despite numerous attempts and searching for information through various sources, the father was unable to reestablish contact with his son on his own.
Although he had exhausted all personal means, he never lost hope. Eventually, he traveled to the Republic of Croatia in person to find his son, but changes of address and the passage of time once again closed the doors to him.
When he learned about the Croatian Red Cross Tracing Service, which carries out activities to restore family connections and locate separated and missing family members, he reached out and was advised to submit a tracing request.
After the request was opened, the Croatian Red Cross staff began the search. Soon, the news the father had been waiting for nearly 40 years arrived: the Klanjec City Red Cross confirmed that the sought person, his son, had been found and wished to make contact with him. The very next day, he traveled to the Republic of Croatia, where, after decades, he finally embraced his son.
The staff emphasized that they witnessed the emotional reunion and reconnection of father and son, who joyfully embraced the opportunity for a new beginning, both extremely happy to continue building their relationship.
“This will be the best Christmas ever,” said the son, who is already planning a trip to Lebanon to meet the family he has only just discovered. After finally finding his son, the father concluded his tracing request with deep gratitude.
