Jay Barbanel’s Story from Costa Rica | Finding Tico: Those Fragments of Memory

Jay Barbanel was born in Costa Rica and spent his early years surrounded by instability and uncertainty. After being taken from his birth mother, he and his brother were placed in an orphanage and later adopted by a family in the United States. For a short time, it felt like a new beginning until, at just seven years old, Jay was separated from his brother. That loss stayed with him. Years later, at twenty-five, Jay reunited with his brother after nearly two decades apart. But the reunion brought long-buried questions to the surface about his past, his identity, and where he truly came from. Through therapy and for the first time opening his adoption files, Jay discovered his birth name, learned about his biological family, and uncovered a story he had never fully known. His journey eventually led him back to Costa Rica, where he began piecing together the life that had once been taken from him. In this episode, Jay shares his story of separation, reunion, and what it means to find yourself later in life. You can find out more and where to get his book Finding Tico over at: www.findingtico.com. You can also find Jay on Social Media at https://www.instagram.com/thatkidjay1