Richard Manders

In 1962, when Pat (O'Brien) made the difficult decision to give up her baby, the laws surrounding adoption forced a complete severing of the link between mother and child. But as the years passed, and Pat met adoptees searching for birth parents, as well as other birth mothers longing to reunite with their children, she began to hope that she might one day reconnect with her son. After a relentless pursuit for information that ended with sidestepping the bureaucracy that walled off adoption records, she found him. But that was just the first hurdle. When Pat phoned him, Richard was going through a tough time: his adoptive mom was nearing the end of her life, and he was approaching a marriage he was unsure of. Pat didn't give up, though, and the two eventually formed a deep bond that became the foundation for a close, albeit surprisingly extended family.