A mother and her daughter have rekindled their relationship after 22 years of living apart.
Katie Cleath, 37, from Tulsa but currently living in Colorado, felt forced to cut ties with her daughter, Hannah Lewis, 22, after her birth.
When she was 14, Katie, who now works as a beautician, became pregnant and, shortly after her 15th birthday, gave birth to Hannah.
Although Katie had a loving and supportive family, she felt she had no choice but to give Hannah up for adoption to protect her from someone in her life who at the time she believed was a risk to her safety.
Katie said: “Even though I was very young and it was difficult, knowing Hannah was safe was the only thing that got me through.”
Hannah Lewis (right) has been reunited with her birth mother, Katie Cleath (left), after 22 years of living apart.
22 years later, Katie and Hannah are safe and happy with their circumstances.
Hannah admitted that life has been full of ups and downs, but she was lucky to have adoptive parents who supported her and gave her a positive childhood.
Hannah grew up in Texas with her adoptive parents and consciously came into contact with her birth mother for the first time when she was around 12 years old.
They spoke on and off over the next few years, but communication problems prevented their relationship from progressing.
Hannah said: “I didn’t fully know why I was put up for adoption and my mother didn’t know that I didn’t know.”
‘Neither of us really knew if the other wanted to talk, so we postponed it. It just didn’t happen.’
Despite previous communication problems with her birth parents, Hannah said: ‘I have had a great life with my adoptive family.
‘It’s true that there have been some struggles because being adopted is not something that has been talked about much with me. I’ve had to do my own research over the years.
In a touching video, Hannah recorded the moment her birth mother met her at the airport.
Katie felt compelled to give Hannah up for adoption shortly after her birth amid safety concerns.
Hannah has praised her adoptive family and the positive childhood experience they gave her in Texas.
A year after Hannah was born, Katie and her family traveled to their new home in Texas to visit her.
They met again when Hannah was four years old. However, there was fear and confusion surrounding the visit.
Katie worried that her daughter’s adoptive family might feel she was overstepping her boundaries with the visit.
As a result, the couple did not meet again until Hannah reached out to her birth mother.
Over time they started talking more, which led to Hannah staying with Katie recently. Now they are helping each other take the next steps.
Hannah and Katie seemed delighted to be in each other’s company again and embraced each other in a warm hug.
Katie traveled from Texas to Colorado to spend time with her birth mother
Hannah has documented her experience with adoption on TikTok to shed light on the less discussed aspects of adoption.
Hannah is currently in Colorado with Katie and her siblings, focusing on healing and making up for lost time.
She said: ‘I feel like I have divorced parents, with my adopted family in Texas taking care of my horses and my mother and siblings here in Colorado.
‘I want to be with everyone equally, but it is a struggle for everyone. I documented our journey on TikTok to shed light on less discussed aspects of adoption.
‘The response has sparked important conversations, but I understand it’s not for everyone. Despite the challenges, it is a wonderful and beautiful journey.”