Campaign ManagerIn 1997, Canadian couple Ron and Natalie Trecroce wanted to bring a girl into their home. Their search led them to Arad, Romania, where they met and were enamored with the one-year-old girl named Rodica Lavinia Farcas. Rodica had some health issues, which sent Ron and Natalie on a journey to find answers about her past—and that’s when they made a shocking discovery. Many couples dream of starting their own families, but it’s not always an effortless thing to do. Ron and Natalie Trecroce of Canada knew this better than anyone else. Despite some difficulties, they knew they wanted to raise a girl on their own—what may come.
In 1997, the couple—hoping to find the perfect fit for their little family—traveled to Arad, Romania, a city located on the Mures River in the western part of the country. That’s where they first encountered Rodica Lavinia Farcas. She was only one, yet she already had an enigmatic past.
Rodica Lavinia Farcas
Ron and Natalie immediately recognized that Rodica, with her wide infectious smile, would be the perfect addition to their family of two. Regrettably, this wasn’t going to be an uncomplicated adoption. Before they could even get started, the couple received some distressing news… Ron and Natalie immediately recognized that Rodica, with her wide infectious smile, would be the perfect addition to their family of two. Natalie and Ron grasped on to every bit of data they could find on Rodica. But without the ease of internet like today, there wasn’t much to be found. Then, the couple happened upon Rodica’s family tree—and they found that the girl’s biological mother had actually given away more than one girl. Actually, somewhere out there, Rodica actually had an older sibling! And a sister no less! Curiously enough though, this sister had been sent to an entirely different orphanage. From then on, Ron and Natalie knew they had to find the other child too.
They wanted to find her too
As the saying goes, the more the merrier, and Natalie and Ron must have been firm believers of that! From the moment they acquired the knowledge about Rodica’s sister, they were resolved to find—and adopt—her, too. Thorough research led Ron and Natalie finally down to Rodica’s older sister, Gianina. They were shocked at the likeness between the sisters—they could have passed off as twins! Without a moment’s hesitation, the couple adopted her too, making the Trecroces officially a family of four.
Another startling discovery!
Happily, back home in Canada with two new baby girls, Ron and Natalie made yet another unexpected discovery about the young girls’ family tree: they had six other siblings! But obviously, they wouldn’t plan to adopt them too…right? Ron and Natalie drained their means while trying to find those six other siblings, but without the help of a paper trail from Romania, it was hopeless. Those siblings still remain a mystery to this day, but maybe that was better for the pair—eight kids would have been a bit much!
Welcoming Sophie and Danielle
Even though they could not track down the rest of the siblings, Ron and Natalie were still happy to complete their dream. They were christened with new names too: Gianina became Sophie, and Rodica was now Danielle. But something didn’t feel right about the change though…
Taking two little girls from their home country and then erasing all signs of their heritage and culture was not what Ron and Natalie intended. To mark the girls’ history and heritage, they turned Sophie and Danielle’s birth names into the girls’ new middle names.
Sophie wanted people to know
Years later, as an adult, when Sophie watched the film, she decided to make a shorter version to share on the Internet. She edited the full film into its shorter counterpart, which she uploaded to YouTube (though it has since been taken down), where it reached a huge amount of views. The edited video’s success inspired Sophie a lot. So much so that she actually chose to pursue photography. When the time for her to enroll at a university came around, she knew exactly what she wanted to declare as her major!
She wanted to visit Romania
The documentary also inspired Sophie to find out more about her and her sister’s pasts. She planned a trip to take a trip to Romania. And though she would’ve hoped to find her birth mother, she didn’t rely on it. Finding proper documents was still scarce, even after all of these years.As for Danielle, she plans to join her sister on her journey to Romania sometime in 2018. In the meantime, she intends to study for her bachelor’s degree. And if that wasn’t enough, she still lives in the close vicinity of her sibling.
