Reunited, and it feels so good!
More than 50 years later, a daughter reunited with her birth mom and discovered she was a star on her favorite childhood TV show, Today.com reports.
Lisa Wright always knew she was adopted but never looked for her biological mom. She only knew a few things about her birth mother, she was 18 years old when she had her, and the adoption was closed.
"My [adoptive] mom told me, 'Your mommy loved you, but she was really young, and she knew she couldn't take care of you. I wanted the baby so bad, and that's why your mom let me take care of you. You weren't abandoned. This was just the best thing for you," Wright shared.
It wasn't until she was 54 years old, with a child of her own, that she even thought about searching for her biological mom. Wright's son suggested she get a DNA test and find out her heritage. Shortly after, she learned that there was a familial match detected.
"I get an alert, and it says, 'This person is your uncle. So I just reached out and said, 'If you're open to it, I would love to chat with you to see what all of this means,'" Wright said.
A few days later, she ended up speaking to her uncle. He let her know that her mother was young when she gave birth. She and the rest of her family had been looking for her all along. More importantly, her birth mother lived in Los Angeles, the same city as Wright. Wright then searched her mother's birth name up online and found a picture of her.
"I just could not believe it. For the first time ever, other than looking at my son, for the first time, I'm looking at somebody who looks like me," Wright said.
Minutes after she ended the call with her uncle, her phone rang again.
"A voice on the other end says, 'Is this, my daughter?' And then I just went, 'Oh, my God, is this my mother?' And then she goes, 'Yes, sweetie, this is your mom.' It was just the most indescribable feeling," Wright explained.
The two met up the next day, and she discovered that her mother was actress Lynne Moody, who starred on the hit show "That's My Mama," a popular ABC sitcom in the mid-'70s. It turns out it was one of Wright's favorite shows.
"I grew up watching my mother on TV and didn't even know it. 'That's My Mama' - that was our must-see TV. We all sat down and watched 'That's My Mama' every week, and who knew? No idea. And that's my mama," Wright exclaimed.
Moody said she had always dreamed of reconnecting with her daughter but had almost given up hope. Because the adoption was closed, she had no way of contacting her or even knowing where to begin. She never had any other children, and Wright's adoptive parents passed away before the two could reconnect.
"When she was born, they covered my face, my eyes, so that I couldn't see her. But I could hear her cry. All I could say was, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry.' As a mother, you never, ever, ever forget. During those 50 years, all I did was try to learn how to live with it. I didn't know if she was hungry, if she was alive, if she was happy, if she was adopted...When I found out that she was my daughter, at that moment, it was like I was giving birth. Because I lost my legs, I was on the floor in a fetal position, screaming and crying. I didn't know how deep that hole was," Moody said.
The former television star hopes their story of reuniting inspires others never to give up.
"Life is full of surprises sometimes, so hang in there no matter what your circumstances are. Be open to miracles, be open to surprises, and keep the faith," Moody said.
Congratulations, Lisa and Lynne! Sending love to you both!
Photo Courtesy of People/Disney