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Outlook: The failed escape and the ‘stolen’ son

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Andreas Laake

19/06/2019 GMT

The failed escape and the ‘stolen’ son

BBC World Service - Outlook, The failed escape and the ‘stolen’ son

After a disastrous effort to flee East Germany, Andreas Laake was set on finding his son

Andreas Laake and his pregnant wife tried to flee communist East Germany. When they failed, he wound up in prison while his wife gave birth. Then, the state took his baby son away

In 1984, Andreas Laake fled communist East Germany in a dinghy with his pregnant wife, but this attempt to leave ended disastrously. They were intercepted and Andreas was thrown in jail. When his son was born he was 'stolen', or forcibly given up for adoption by the state. His marriage ended and he never saw his wife again. Andreas then started a 25 year search for his son which involved an intense public campaign. But would he ever find him? Emily Webb hears his story.

Tartania Brown is from New York City and she has sickle cell anaemia, a genetic disorder that affects red blood cells and can be fatal. At one stage, Tartania didn’t know if she would reach her 20s. Her brother Christopher also has the condition, and when he was just four years old, he had multiple strokes which left him unable to speak or move. It was a challenging time for Tartania's whole family, but also transformative for her. Seeing the way the doctors and nurses cared for her brother, she was inspired to study medicine herself. After much hard work, she is a palliative care physician and looks after patients with sickle cell anaemia. Tartania's story is part of the film and photo series Untold Sickle Cell Stories

(Photo: Andreas Laake with kind permission)

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