Patricia and her daughter embrace after 26 years apart, reunited through a viral video posted by IOL during its Elevate HER campaign. Picture: Lance Witten / IOL
After 26 years of searching and heartache, a mother and daughter’s lives were forever changed by a chance encounter on TikTok. Patricia Kaiser, a Cape Town homeless woman featured in IOL's Elevate HER campaign, had no idea that her long-lost daughter would stumble across her video online, sparking an emotional reunion neither thought possible.
Patricia’s daughter, now 29, had been separated from her mother when she was just three-years-old. She had been searching for Patricia for years but without success, until the day she scrolled past a video on TikTok. There, in a short clip, she saw her mother’s face.
"I have been looking for her for years,” said the daughter.
“When I saw that video, I knew it was her instantly. It felt like fate was finally giving me the chance to find her.
"I feel like I can take on the world."
In an emotional reunion organised by IOL, mother and daughter embraced for the first time in decades. Patricia, overwhelmed with joy, recalled the painful day they were separated.
"The police took her when she was just a child. I never stopped searching, but I did not know where to look," she said, tears in her eyes.
The reunion was made even sweeter by the fact that Patricia got to meet her grandson, 12-year-old Lance, for the first time.
“It’s amazing to meet him,” Patricia said, her face lighting up.
Patricia’s daughter expressed her happiness at rekindling their bond.
"We’ll visit each other often, and I want my mother to be a big part of our lives now," she said, smiling.
Patricia, now feeling stronger than ever, echoed her daughter’s excitement.
“It doesn’t feel right to stay apart anymore. I want to be with my family,” she said.
IOL