The Official Story

Gaby's Biography

Born in an Argentine prison, Gaby was sold to a wealthy Argentine couple shortly after she was born. Her birth parents are among the disappeared, there bodies have not been found and there is no record of there death. Her adopted parents, Roberto and Alicia, raised Gaby until the anniversary of her 5th year with them, which is the date they named her birthday. It is not known if this is Gaby’s actual birthday since there is no record of her birth at any hospital. Shortly after her 5th birthday, Gaby went to live with her birth mother’s mother. Her adoptive parents divorced and while she saw Alicia regularly, she never saw Roberto again.

It was a scary and confusing transition. Her grandmother showed her photographs of her parents, which she later had copied and framed. Gaby keeps the photo of her parents standing outside smiling, her mother pregnant, but not showing, on her bedside table. Gaby loved the story of her parents’ romance; it is still one of her favorite stories and she asks her grandmother to tell it frequently. As a little girl, she loved to look at the photo of her mother at age 5, amazed to look just like her. She had confusing dreams and nightmares and would cry out for her mother.

At age 13, she began to ask questions about her parents death, how she been adopted by Roberto and Alicia without her grandmother’s permission or knowledge, and how her grandmother had found her. She refused to celebrate her 15th birthday because it was not her real birthday. When Alicia arrived with a present, Gaby lashed out at her blaming her for her parents’ death and for using money to buy Gaby and take her away from her real family. They did not speak for six months. It was Gaby’s grandmother that finally brought them back together.

Today, Gaby is teaching high school history. She has a two year old daughter, named after her birth mother.