As parents, we all have that unspeakable fear of losing our child in the middle of a busy mall or grocery store.
This video shared by Wonderbot on YouTube tells the story of 5-year-old Joel de Carteret, who lost his mother in a busy market in the Philippines one day in 1985, only to have his life forever altered.
Little Joel lived in the bustling city of Manila, which is densely populated and an extremely busy place on any given day of the week. While shopping in a crowded market one day during the summer, he lost track of his mother and found himself completely alone. After a while, a taxi driver noticed him wandering about and took Joel to the police.
“I was headed into the police station, and when they asked what my name was, I couldn’t tell them,” Joel recalled during The World Nomads Travel Podcast.
Joel further explained that when no one could locate his mother, and he couldn’t provide the authorities or orphanage he was sent to with his name or identification, he was considered what the Philippines calls a “foundling.” Basically, he was officially claimed to be an abandoned child and could be put up for adoption.
In late 1986, Joel ended up being adopted by a nice couple in Melbourne, Australia. It was quite the culture shock for young Joel coming out of the Philippines and into a house filled with toys and lots of neighborhood friends.
As a teenager, Joel developed a love of the arts through dance and eventually filmmaking. And even though he came to live a privileged and happy life, he always felt a sense of guilt and loss for his mother back home.
To find out about Joel’s search for his birth mother and what happened when he finally located her, watch the video.
