A woman from Utah in the US has opened up about meeting her daughter by chance for the first time after she gave her up for adoption 17 years earlier, Daily Mail reports.
Gina Crotts (38) was really surprised to see her teenage daughter, Kalyn, looking at her through the glass of a shop window.
She was only 19 years old when she had her baby girl and decided to give her up for adoption because she was unable to take care of a child at that stage in her life, Metro reports.
The parents who raised the now teenager would send the young woman pictures documenting every year of Kalyn’s life – a gesture that provided a sense of comfort to the mom.
Gina now has three children with her husband Brandon (46) – JD (16), Evie (13) and eight-year-old Jett – and is writing a story about her experiences.
“I was sitting with my back to the window, I turned around and that single wall and six feet, was all that was between us,” she said.
“I was shocked at first, then a second later full of sheer excitement, then hesitation in case she didn’t want to see me,” she added.
The first thing Gina asked her daughter was, “are you happy?” The two embraced and spoke for ages, catching up on everything.
Since the pair met in October 2017, they’ve kept in touch and regularly text each other.
“My daughter always kept a picture of her sister in her room, so if anyone was to pick her out it would be Evie,” she said.
“We’re very fortunate it played out in this way. I’m aware most birth moms don’t get this experience and I’m very fortunate for how my story ended up,” she added.
Sources: Daily Mail, Metro, Kidspot