Now the world is searching for Linda’s sister

100,000 Facebook hits for heartbreaking birthday message

A woman’s painful search for her long-lost sister has gone global after it plucked at the heart strings of 100,000 people worldwide.

Linda Grieve has posted a birthday message to her sister Christine Mackenzie on social networking sites ever year for the past decade in the desperate hope she’ll see it and get in touch.

The annual message is usually shared by locals living in Linda’s home town of Newburgh in Fife. However, this year a stroke of luck saw more than 86,000 people spread the message on Facebook within just four days.

It is expected to pass the 100,000 mark today, reaching millions of people worldwide.

Christine was born at Queen Mother’s Hospital in Glasgow on 29 September 1965 but was adopted soon afterwards as her mum Mary Mackenzie battled a rare blood disease that took her life.

Linda, 50, found out at the age of 16 that Jessie Mackenzie the woman she thought was her mum was actually her gran and her real mum was Jessie’s daughter Mary.

However, it took almost 20 years before Jessie dropped another bombshell, revealing that Linda had a sister called Christine. Jessie found the subject painful and wouldn’t discuss it with Linda so out of respect she didn’t delve into it any deeper.

However, following Jessie’s death in 2000 Linda started her desperate search for the sister she never knew.

Linda said: “Up till I was 16 I thought my gran was my mum. It was a major shock but I was grateful for everything she did for me. It was only 15 years ago that she told me about Christine.

“We had been talking a bit about my mum and she said ‘Linda, your mum had another child but she was put up for adoption’. I found out that my mum fell ill with blood disorder aplastic anemia while pregnant with Christine.

“There was no cure in those days and she died a few months after she was born. The pregnancy had nothing to do with it. I tried to find out more but any time I asked gran she got really upset so I stopped asking.

“I have aunts and uncles. I grew up thinking they were my brothers and sisters. I tried asking them but they still find talking about it difficult.”

Carer Linda knows that she and Christine, who turned 48 last Sunday, have different fathers but knows very little else. However, she is worried Christine’s adoptive parents may have given her a new name.

As part of her search she started putting up a message every year on social networking sites on Christine’s birthday. And she’s been thrilled by the phenomenal response it’s had this year.

She said: “It’s gone all round the world. I’ve been getting emails from genealogy specialists and people who have tracked down their own family. They’ve all offered to help. My mum was just 18 when she had me and she was just 22 when she died.

“I’ve got Christine’s birth certificate but that’s about it. Sometimes I wonder if I should give up but I just can’t.

“I think about mum and Christine every day. I’d love to find her so I can get to know her.”