Prayers answered - Mom and son reunited after 44 years following STAR story

"I was always praying. Me say, God, if me can't find him, mek him find me."

That was the daily prayer of Melinda Diaz whose son, Sirhan McIntosh, was separated from her 44 years ago. THE STAR published a story on July 20, highlighting McIntosh's impassioned plea to be reunited with his mother. Just two days later, Diaz received a call from a family friend and her prayers were answered; she had finally located her son.

"Me never stop searching for him, enuh, mi never stop. When me get the call, me did frighten an' me never know what was going on and it was just a sudden call me get and the person say 'Yuh have a son name Sirhan McIntosh?' I said 'Yes, I have been looking for him from him a one year and six months'. Fi tell yuh di truth, me feel real good," she told the news team.

Diaz recounted that she explored the option of using local television shows and radio programmes to locate her son. Thoughts of McIntosh, her first born, being renamed or even worse, being dead, raced through her mind several times. But she clung tightly to the hope that he was still alive.

"Me di a wonder if him dead, if him did out deh a suffer, because you know, anything can happen. All sort a things go through me mind. Me ask God weh him coulda deh and every time him birthday come, the 11th of July, because me have a grandson born the eighth, me know the next three days would be Sirhan birthday. Me nuh know weh him did deh, me nuh know if him out deh a suffer or him a struggle. But even if him did a suffer or deh pon the sidewalk, me wah find him," Diaz shared.

Now the family is seeking to be reunited physically, which promises a be a tear-jerking encounter.

"Sometime me did a wonder if me wouldn't find him name at all because people a tell me say dem could a change him name and change him birth paper and me a say if dem change him name, weh me a go use and find him? But since the story, we talk and connect with each other and he is a wonderful son. Me feel like if me did get a million dollars, me wouldn't feel so good because me son worth more than money," she said.

Meanwhile, McIntosh is feeling relieved to have located his mother and feels like a new chapter in his life has just begun.

"We have had discussions and I have learnt a lot about the one and a half years she had me, and I must say, it has been great to discover her. I am looking forward to building a strong relationship with her, we have to build something with her," the son said.