Kan Bagi

Since I first went public with my story way back in 2013 (can that really be possible?), I had no idea who, if anyone, would be interested in it. I believed my life story might resonate with lots of different people who found themselves on similar journeys—but still, I couldn’t be sure if what I had to say would be meaningful to anyone.

It turned out that my story was more universal than I’d thought. Even five years later—as I continue the search for the real Paul Fronczak and my missing twin sister Jill—there’s a constant level of interest in the particulars of my case, and that is really gratifying. Because the more people that follow my story, the better the chance that someone, somewhere, will step forward with that one magic tip that helps me crack the case.

So far, my book The Foundling has been published in several different countries, including Germany, Russia, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey. The Turkish book cover (above) features the title Kan Bagi, which translates to Blood Donation. At first that struck me as a little too Red Cross-ish, but I’ll take it. It’s actually right on the mark, since my story is about how the blood that runs through my veins defines who I am and shapes the life I’m living.

Surprisingly, my story and my book have been extremely popular in the United Kingdom. In fact, today marks the release of the paperback edition of The Foundling in the UK. I’ve done quite a few interviews with British newspapers, radio shows and podcasts, and I’ll be doing more in the near future.

What’s more, several British production companies have expressed interest in producing a docuseries about my case.

I'm not sure why my story is so popular in the UK. Nor do I have any way of knowing if the answers I’m looking for can be found across the Atlantic Ocean. But certainly, given how many strange twists and turns my story has taken, I wouldn’t rule it out.

But even if they can’t, I feel very blessed to have so much interest in my story in the UK. It allows me to reach many more thousands of people who are on similar journeys, in search of their family, and in search of themselves. If my thoughts and words and insights can inspire them or give them hope, even a little bit, then I’ll be extremely grateful.

Since the beginning five years ago, I’ve believed my story is bigger than me, and bigger even than the real Paul. This story belongs to anyone whose family tree is murky or non-existent—to anyone whose future is intertwined with their past.

My story is our story, because as human beings our blood defines who we are, and our need to know the truth about ourselves transcends any boundary or ocean.