For four decades, Giannis Kaganis lived a life shadowed by deception. Nurtured affectionately by his adoptive parents and supplied with a new identity by the state, he was oblivious to the fact that his biological mother mourned a child she believed had died. In truth, Giannis was being raised by another family, given away with nothing but a basic receipt. His quest for the truth unveiled an illegal adoption network that operated like something from a kidnapping thriller.
The Contradictions
In the town of Arta, behind a now-closed jewelry store, Giannis carried a lingering question: “Who am I really?” Official documents listed Arta as his birthplace, yet he was actually born at Alexandra Maternity Hospital in Athens. This was merely the start of the inconsistencies in his life.
His journey began not with cherished childhood memories, but with a startling truth. When Giannis was five, his adoptive mother, Paraskevi, gently revealed that he was not her biological child; he had been “found” in a care facility (P.I.K.P.A.). A caring friend had suggested she tell him early. While the intent was good, the revelation left a deep, lasting wound. From that moment, Giannis felt an emptiness that even the love of his adoptive parents and the simplicity of a small provincial life couldn’t fill.
As he matured, his desire to learn about his origins intensified.
The Shocking Trigger: A Story from Volos
At 35, Giannis stumbled upon a harrowing news article about two strangers in Volos, who were revealed to be biological siblings from different adoptive families. A registrar identified the connection just in time, averting a potential disaster. This story became a turning point for Giannis.
Now a father, the possibility that his daughter might unknowingly face a similar fate deeply unsettled him. He visited the Athens Registry Office and requested his birth certificate. For the first time, he held a document that could illuminate his past, clearly listing his biological mother’s name—a name that became his guiding light.
The Adoption Story
His adoptive mother recounted how they had waited for three years to adopt a child. When they finally received a call from the director of the PIKPA institution, a surprising twist ensued: a relative of the Kaganis family inquired about the delay, and due to a mistaken identity, the director assumed the visitor had ties to a high-ranking official. This nudged their application to the front of the line.
Thus, the Kaganis family bypassed the waiting list and searched various PIKPA branches for a baby. Eventually, at the Daou Pentelis branch, they were shown ten infants. Paraskevi chose Giannis—the baby she felt resembled her.
And then something unfathomable occurred:
They received the baby with a simple receipt and were told, “If he doesn’t suit you, bring him back.”
The Fight for the Truth
Years later, Giannis resolved to take action: he obtained his birth certificate from the Arta Municipality. A note referenced an original registration in Athens. Upon locating the document, he found the details troubling—the address was not a home, but the location of Alexandra Hospital, where he had been born and where his mother had been told her child had died two days after birth.
Even more alarming was the signature of the person declaring the birth—only an initial was present.
With only his mother’s name as a clue, Giannis embarked on a painful search through institutions, public offices, and registries across Greece. No photos, no files. Until, at last, he found himself in a small town.
The Moment of Truth
There, he encountered his biological mother’s brother. Giannis approached him discreetly, inquiring if his sister had experienced a traumatic event or loss decades earlier. The uncle hesitated, and then, the past began to unfold.
He recalled January 13, 1981—the day his sister gave birth and was told her baby had died. When Giannis revealed his identity, the man’s expression froze. With tearful eyes and a trembling voice, he responded:
“You can’t be alive… They told us you had died.”
The Fainting Spell
The shock was overwhelming. The man who had just discovered his nephew lived embraced him and took him home. There, they were greeted by his wife—Giannis’ aunt—who was the only family member to have seen the baby hours after his birth at the “Alexandra” maternity hospital.
With emotion, her husband said: “Hold him in your arms, and I’ll share his story.” The moment she touched him, she nearly fainted, unable to grasp that the baby believed dead had returned to them as a grown man. They immediately informed Giannis’ biological mother, who lived in Athens. She arrived shortly afterward.
The ensuing scene was indescribable; she collapsed, weeping, pinching herself and tugging at her hair to confirm it wasn’t a dream. Her child was alive, yet she had spent four decades believing she had lost him forever. Once she found her footing, she did her best to explain that two days after giving birth, hospital staff had told her her baby had died.
No explanations, no medical reports—just a declared fact. Her brother, Giannis’ future uncle, had sought the baby’s body for burial. A head nurse, midwife, and priest informed him that stillborn babies were buried in mass graves.
When he insisted, they threatened him with police action if he did not leave. According to Giannis, all indications suggest a pre-existing arrangement: the baby was to be illegally given to another family for money. He was a vulnerable child; his mother was underage, unmarried, and unsupported, while his biological father had died in a car accident just a month before. Yet, for some reason, the arrangement fell through, leaving Giannis in limbo at an institution.
A document from the Athens Court confirms the forged consent of the biological mother in the adoption.
The Trafficking Ring
Giannis Kaganis, abandoned as a newborn in an institution, left his biological mother and relatives mourning his fictitious death. For decades, they believed their child had died, without ever receiving proof or explanations. Driven by a relentless quest for truth, Giannis managed to secure—on August 30, 2023—the adoption decision from the Court of Arta. Despite having his request for access to the complete adoption file denied twice, the truth began to emerge slowly.
One crucial document indicated that his biological mother had appeared before the Athens Multimember Court and consented to the adoption. When Giannis shared this with her, she strongly denied it, stating she had never appeared in court or given her consent—because she had solely believed her child was dead.
Adoption with a Simple Receipt of Delivery
Through months of investigation, aided by his partner Kallithea Kossyvaki, Giannis proved that the entire adoption file was built on falsified information. He firmly believes that his case involved a well-orchestrated ring that, for financial gain, took newborns from vulnerable women—underage, unmarried, and unsupported—and handed them over to other families using forged documents and fraudulent methods. The Social Services of Arta played a key role in his investigation, handling the case with sensitivity and diligence.
The final revelation came on May 19, 2025, when Giannis received confirmation from the General Archives of the Athens Multimember Court indicating that the purported court decision regarding his mother’s consent was entirely unrelated—a matter between two companies over a commercial dispute!
Giannis’ life had been constructed on a foundation of deception. Judicial fraud had not only robbed him of his biological mother but had also deprived him of an entire life.
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