An American woman who is the adoptive mother of a 22-year-old Samoan boy has opened up for the first time about how she too became a victim of an adoption scam two decades ago and how grateful and blessed their family are to have Michael Ulisese Mckrola in their lives.

Michael returned to Samoa earlier this month with his adoptive parents and grandfather from the United States in search of his Samoan roots and parents which was a successful mission.

Debbie Mckrola told this newspaper that having Michael by their side has always been a blessing especially since their family searched the world for a son like him to make their family complete.

"We searched the world to find the son who was supposed to be raised with our family. They made that possible. What a great combined Samoan and American village he has had and who continue to cheer for him," she said.

"We love that they had the courage to make a tough choice, and do what was best for their son at the time. That gave us many opportunities to share with our friends and family our thoughts about Michael's Samoan family and we were able to talk openly about his adoption and the love we felt for him and for his first family."

Mrs. Mckrola acknowledged the work of the Samoa Victim Support Group (S.V.S.G.) and their president, Siliniu Lina Chang in helping them find their son's long lost family.

"I wanted to share two other things I thought about later. First, we're so grateful for S.V.S.G. and Lina Chang's amazing help in working with Jini Robi (SARF in America) to help us connect with Michael's amazing family. Lina's help and support are a huge blessing," she said.

Michael has been in their lives since he was three-years-old. It was a blessing and a good change in their lives as they grew fond of Michael's Samoan family and respect for his Samoan roots.

"The second thing I'd like to share is that a friend shared with us a tradition that we have kept over the years. We had a candle on the table and it was Michael's job to light the candle. The candle represented our love for the parents and family of Michael in Samoa," she explained.

Meanwhile, after a seven-day trip to Samoa, Michael promised that communication with his Samoan family will be much better now and he will give back to them when the right time comes as he is still pursuing education.

In May, a young woman stolen as a child from Samoa under an adoption scam said she was able to make contact with her biological mother that month, almost 20 years after being taken.

Siala Tupu was seven years old and her two other sisters were six and three when her parents were duped into believing that an American couple was taking their children for a better education and would return them when they turned 18-years-old.

According to media reports, 81 Samoan children were adopted through an adoption agency based out of Wyoming in the United States.

They came to Samoa around 2002 and 2003 and told parents of a better life for their children. Their parents not knowing that this was a scam where the people adopting the children also thought that everything was done in a legal manner.