Celebrating my mum

FOR those of you that don’t already know my mum - the woman that raised me, loved me and continues to pour love into my family and me - is not my biological mother.

- ABIGAIL NADAR NEPAUL

She is my adoptive mum.

Forty-two years ago, my mum, Rene, and late dad, Morgan Nadar, brought me home from RK Khan Hospital. They had been praying for a child and when God answered that prayer on New Year’s Eve in 1982 via a telephone call from the social worker, they wasted no time in preparing their humble home for a newborn baby.

My mum fondly remembered trying to find baby clothing shops that were opened on New Year's Eve, all those years ago. There were few, she said, but it didn’t matter because all she wanted was to hold her baby.

My mum and dad raised me as their own. I never once felt a disconnect or questioned their love for me. My mum came from a traditional Indian family and the idea of adoption was not one they welcomed. Despite their concerns, she chose to adopt and never sought validation or support.