Eighty two year old Betty Morrell finally met her birthmother after searching for her for twenty years. Ninety six year old Lena Pierce gave birth to Betty when she was thirteen years old and social welfare officials took her away because Lena was a ward of the state. Betty was adopted by a family from Long Island and grew up thinking her birthmother had passed away, only to learn that she was still alive when she turned thirty.
Twenty years later her granddaughter had helped her locate one of Pierce’s daughters through Ancestry.com and Betty called her and clicked instantly with the baby sister she never knew she had. Morrell learned she had four sisters and two brothers, and that her mother was alive and living in an assisted living apartment complex in Hallstead, Pennsylvania. Betty flew there to finally meet her mother and the family members said it was an amazing and emotional event. Pierce said “There were a few tears, and shaking, it sure was a joy to finally meet up with her. It’s kind of hard when you have a child that you get separated from. I never wanted to give her up.”
Betty still talks to her birthmother and sister often, but she has to remind Pierce who she is sometimes since she is getting older. It is hard for her to remember who Betty is at times, but Betty says that she is just happy that she got to finally meet her. This story was so touching to me because I volunteer with the elderly often and they hold a special place in my heart. I regularly visit nursing homes to bring gifts, talk with them and brighten their day. It is so heartwarming to see how they react because a lot of them don’t have family to visit them and they get lonely often. This story reminded me of a woman I met in a nursing home whose daughter had also tracked her down and still visits her to this day.
Morrell encourages other adoptees to never give up if they are looking for their birthparents. She says that there is always something that will link it, and she hopes her story will inspire others to look as well.