Long-lost dad dies hours before meeting daughter in Canada for first time

A woman who found out the identity of her birth father online after four decades of searching has been robbed of the chance to reunite when he died hours before they were due to meet.

Carrie Fines, 52, of Auckland, was adopted as a baby in Canada in 1967 after first being a ward of the Crown and spending time in foster homes there.

She moved to New Zealand when she was 18 years old.

It had been her "lifelong dream" to hug her birth father, Stephen Giddy, but he died in hospital in February, just days after she flew to Ontario, Canada, to meet him in person.

"That's my adoption reunion, viewing my dad's body."

Giddy died on February 6. Fines had left New Zealand amid the coronavirus outbreak on February 3 with the impression she would be with him during treatment for small cell cancer.

It was discovered after he went to see his doctor because of a pain under his rib.

Although the outlook had not been good, Fines could not have predicted an infection would land him in hospital and on his death bed the day after her arrival.

But stuck more than 100km away due to a snow storm, Fines was forced to say goodbye to her birth father over the phone.

"I feel guilty for not getting there in time," she said.

"From the moment of trying to find him to seeing him at his brother's funeral home, I've hit roadblocks."

Giddy, 73, earlier told Stuff he knew he had a child out there but had no idea where to look.

"After 50 years you kind of don't believe you'll ever meet them or come across them," he said.

Giddy said he wanted to see his daughter "so bad" that he would swim to New Zealand if he had to.

Fines was grateful she had been able to meet her birth father's wife, Liz, her uncle, Graham, and two cousins during her trip.

Now back home in New Zealand, she said she thinks of Giddy everyday.

"There's a seat in my garden and I know he would have loved sitting there, having a ciggy."

She was grateful Givealittle donations she had received to originally get her birth father to New Zealand for a visit had been a "big help" in getting her to Canada instead, when he could not travel.

Fines' advice for other adoptees was to find their birth family and reach out to their birth parents.

"It is good to have your truth, no matter what it is," she said.

This article was originally published on Stuff.co.nz and has been shared with permission.