S1 EP1 (2023 Series) An Adoption Story: Alexei was born in Eastern Ukraine to then moving with his biological family to Velikiye Luki, Pskov, Russia. He was adopted into a New Zealand family at the age of eight.

At an early age he was diagnosed with a rare heart condition, Eisenmenger Syndrome. He shares with me his journey, his outlook on life and the connections he has found overseas with his birth family.

This is his story.

// Watch more An Adoption Story Episodes for the 2023 Series //
EP 12 Felicita:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Felicita's Jo...  
EP 11 Marina:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Marina's Adop...  
EP 10 Ivan:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Iván's Discov...  
EP 9 Nina:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Nina's Story ...  
EP 8 ZacharyVictor:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Adopted from ...  
EP 7 Katya Reach:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Ukrainian  A...  
EP 6 Alexei D’Ath:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Alexei's Stor...  
EP 5 Vanya:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Vanya's Lost ...  
EP 4 Alex Kuch:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Alex's Early ...  
EP 3 Anya:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Anya’s Journe...  
EP 2 Vika:    • An Adoption Story (S1): Viktoria's Se...  
EP 1 Alexei: Watching Now!

You can now watch the new 2024 series over on my YouTube channel!

Alexei currently has a Give A Little Page (similar to a GoFundMe page) below:
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/pleas...

Welcome! Here on my channel I share my journey, topics for adoptees, my vlogs, and support for others adopted, including their stories and journeys with my An Adoption Story series.

As a RussianNew Zealand adoptee, adopted at the age of two from an orphanage in Arkhangelsk, Russia, I share what I've been learning on my journey with my upbringing here in New Zealand, my current life, and how I connected with my birth family. I also share what my bloodline means for me with those connections from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

Be sure to Subscribe if you haven't yet! You can also support my An Adoption Story series by clicking on 'Join' or by visiting https://www.youtube.com/alexgilbert/join. Every bit of your support helps. It means a lot!

Find Me on Social Media:
Instagram:   / alexgilbert  
Facebook:   / nzalexgilbert  

Visit I'm Adopted
I’m Adopted https://imadopted.org/
Facebook:   / imadoptedorg  
Donate to I'm Adopted through Givealittle: https://givealittle.co.nz/org/imadopt...

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
00:15 Titles
00:55 What Alexei Remembers
07:37 The Video Tape
10:26 Going to New Zealand
14:09 Health Diagnoses as a Child
18:24 Life Changing Times for Alexei
22:30 Alexei's Search for his Birth Family
27:38 A Close Family Friend Wendy Hawke
32:12 The Long Lost Family
34:31 Advice for Those Who Struggle to Find Information
37:39 Keeping Positive
39:41 Outro / The Journey Continues