Son stolen at birth hugs his mother for the first time in 42 years as they get reunited

A son and mother have shared their first hug together in more than four decades.

When Jimmy Thyden was born premature, he was given to his mom in a Chilean hospital to hold for a moment.

However, a staff member took the baby away and placed him in an incubator.

That was the last time Maria Angelica Gonzalez saw her son.

When she returned to the hospital to see her Jimmy, she was told he had tragically died.

What had actually happened was he was handed over to child traffickers.

Jimmy was one of tens of thousands of babies and children who were taken from their homes during the 1970s and '80s.

However, he started hearing about stories of Chilean people who had been reunited with their birth families after they were torn apart.

The criminal defense attorney who now lives in Virginia contacted non-profit organization Nos Buscamos to see if they knew anything about his heritage.

They got to work on his file and were able to track down his family.

Nos Buscamos founder and director Constanza Del Rio said: "Just plain and simple they were stealing kids and selling them.

"This was not for saving them from poorness or saving them from starving or whatever.

"That was the movie they present. But the real story was that where -- these kids were stolen from poor families, poor women that... didn't know how to defend themselves."

Once Jimmy found out where his birth family was, he flew to Chile with his wife Johannah, and their two daughters, Ebba Joy and Betty Grace.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house when Jimmy got to huge his mom Maria.

Nos Buscamos/Jimmy Thyden/Associated Press

They had set up 42 balloons to signify every year that he had been missing.

Jimmy said it was incredibly emotional seeing Maria for the first time, recalling: "She says, 'Mijo you have no idea the oceans I've cried for you. How many nights I've laid awake praying that God let me live long enough to learn what happened to you'."

He added: "How do you hug someone in a way that makes up for 42 years of hugs? 42 years robbed and stolen from us all crashing into this moment. 42 years, but not 43. Never 43."

Jimmy also got to meet his four brothers and sister during the incredible reunion.

Topics: World News

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

@stewartperrie