Prepare yourself with tissues as a touching video of a man meeting his biological family for the first time after being abandoned as a baby has gained widespread attention online.
Jon Scarlett-Phillips, now 40, was discovered in the restroom of a leisure center parking lot near Milton Keynes, UK, in September 1984.
He was wrapped in a blanket, placed in a shopping bag with his placenta still attached, and left by his birth mother.
Three teenage girls found Jon and quickly called for an ambulance, ensuring he received the medical care he needed.
Jon shared his incredible story on ITV’s Long Lost Family: Born Without a Trace, hoping to locate his birth mother.
He expressed on the show: “I was found by three girls. Discovering something like that at that age is unbelievable. I’m grateful, very grateful that they heard me and found me. They’re the ones that saved my life.”
Fortunately, Jon enjoyed a joyful upbringing after being adopted by John and Marilyn and grew up with his older sister Debbie.
Yet, despite this happiness, Jon felt a significant void in his life.
“I didn’t want to search for a very long time,” Jon, who now works as a chef in Wiltshire, explained. “The question is still there: Why did she do it?”
After experiencing a rough patch following an accident that left his adoptive mother with brain damage, Jon pledged to stay away from drugs after nearly overdosing at 18.
He credits his wife Becky with helping him turn his life around, and she also encouraged him to seek answers about his origins.
Through a thorough search, the Long Lost Family team found that Jon’s birth mother was still alive and had been 20 years old when she gave birth to him.
They also found out she had two young daughters at the time she became pregnant with Jon.
“I suspect she unexpectedly found herself pregnant with Jon, and I think she couldn’t cope. When she left him, she was mentally in a very bad place,” said Ariel Bruce from Long Lost Family.
At the time of filming, Jon’s birth mother was not yet ready to meet him, but his two half-sisters were eager to connect with him.
An emotional video captures the moment Jon met his siblings for the first time, with their faces obscured to maintain their mother’s privacy.
The siblings immediately bonded as they caught up on the many years they had spent apart.
Although Jon’s birth mother wasn’t present, the sisters brought a message from her to share with Jon.
It read: “Hi, I’ve sent this message to the girls so they can let you know the reasons why I’m not with them today.
“Unfortunately, I feel unable, both physically and mentally, to come today following a long period of illness.”
“It’s not a no Jon, it’s just time,” one of the sisters conveyed as it was read out loud. Jon shared on the show: “I feel a lot lighter. I feel a bit more full, as well. That emptiness has disappeared completely now. I’m a happy man.”