Woman gave her daughter up for adoption as a teenager: 50 years later, they are finally reunited
Bringing a child into the world is a joy, but also a huge responsibility and sometimes one is too young to take on this responsibility. For this reason, in fact, many young teenagers choose to entrust their children to more experienced parents who are eager to raise their children with all the love they deserve, and without judging the biological mothers. This is what happened to Mary Beth Wolfe - as she was known in 1970. At the time, Mary was only 18, unmarried and had just graduated high school when her daughter was born.
via USA Today
Mary Beth made the heartbreaking decision to put her baby up for adoption: it was an extremely difficult choice, made in order to give the child a better life. "I had in mind the image of her adoptive parents picking her up and carrying her home, and standing in front of her crib as she slept and thinking how lucky they were to have her," said Mary Beth, now married, a mother of two children and a grandmother.
"Then I imagined what it would be like if I had taken her home, and I sat in the dark cradling her and crying because I didn't know how to raise her. I was just a kid myself. I felt so overwhelmed. It was a risk I couldn't take. The adoptiove parents were wonderful. Whatever I decided, was fine with them. They never pressured me one way or the other," Mary added.
One day, Mary Beth - who is 68 today - received a letter from an "unknown" sender: it was her daughter, now fifty years old. In the letter, Victoria Rich - her biological daughter's name - wrote: "Hi Mary Beth. My name is Victoria Rich. This may not be a letter you would expect to get every day. I was born in Our Lady of Victory hospital at Lackawanna, New York, August 20, 1970". Up until this point, her Victoria hadn't thought much about finding her birth mother, but when New York State decided to allow adopted children to see their birth certificates in January 2019, she registered for more information.
Mary Beth immediately picked up the phone and contacted Victoria at the number that she put in her letter. Victoria said she felt extremely nervous, but said she recognised the voice of her mother. A few days later, the two met and embraced. "I spent 50 years wondering if Victoria was okay and if I had made the right choice. But luckily, she had two wonderful adoptive parents. I couldn't ask for a better daughter. She has grown into an extraordinary woman. She is the person I wish I could have been. She's smart, independent, tough. She's not just a daughter, but a super daughter. Not only did she do well, but she's part of my family now," Mary Beth commented.
