50+ Years Later, A Daughter And Birth Mother Reunite With Help From DNA Tests | TODAYwww.youtube.com
Fifty-four years later, in 2018, Lisa signed up for 23andMe to learn about her genetic heritage.
"I get an alert, and it says, 'This person is your uncle,'" Lisa said. So, she reached out to the man, named Carlton Moody, and asked, "If you're open to it, I would love to chat with you to see what all of this means." Carlton got back to her the next day.
The next day on the phone, he asked Lisa to tell him something about herself. "'I was told that my biological mom was very young when she had me,'" she told Carlton. "'She moved to L.A. because she wanted to be in Hollywood.' And then he just stopped me right there."
"So then I'm thinking, 'OK, here it comes. He's going to say don't ever call me again.' And so he goes, 'Lisa, you're my niece. We've been looking for you. We've all been looking for you,'" she said.
Lisa was excited to learn that her mother, Lynn Moody, lived in Los Angeles, too. And her name sounded familiar.
"Wait a minute, I know that name,'" Lisa told Red Rocks. "Sitting at my desk, I Googled Lynne Moody and when her picture popped up, I almost wanted to cry because it was the first time anyone had looked like me. I then realized that I grew up watching my mother on TV and didn't even realize it. It was amazing information but it felt like a dream."
Lynne has had a long career as an actor, starring on "That's My Mama" for one season as the groundbreaking mini-series "Roots" and its follow-up "Roots: The Next Generation." She also appeared on "Soap," "Hill Street Blues," "General Hospital," and "Knots Landing."
"For 54 years I had to learn how to deal with the fact that I had a daughter out there, not knowing if she was dead or alive," Lynne said. "For the first time in my life, I was able to say, 'Yes, honey, I am your mother,'" Lynne said. "I was still nervous. I wasn't sure if she'd hate me, resent me, accept me, love me. I didn't know."
Lynne had searched for Lisa for years but kept hitting dead ends because the adoption was confidential. She even received help from revered "Roots" author Alex Haley, but he couldn't make any headway either.
Unfortunately, Lisa's adoptive parents weren't able to meet Lynne because they had passed away in 2006 and 2010. The mother and daughter have forged a deep bond since they were first reunited in 2018. Lisa has got to meet many of her aunts and cousins, and Lynne has gotten to know her grandson.
"It's a story about love and never giving up," Lynne told Red Rocks. I'm experiencing a new world as a result of what has happened and I couldn't be happier."
- Mom's attention to detail helped her realize her adopted son was ... ›
- This family's journey to adoption demonstrates the transformative ... ›
- A woman who grew up in foster care explains why the 'adoption not ... ›
- Families make tough decision after realizing their kids were switched at birth - Upworthy ›
- Toronto woman celebrates 98th birthday with daughter after 80 years apart - Upworthy ›
- Toronto woman celebrates 98th birthday with daughter after 80 years apart - Upworthy ›