An Arizona woman was reunited with her daughter more than 50 years after giving birth.
Sandra Weeden was a 17-year-old high school student when she made the agonizing decision in 1970 to give up her newborn daughter for closed adoption.
Now the couple have been reunited after the granddaughter they never knew existed, Azhia-lin, searched for them online, leading to a family reunion.
For the first time, Sandra met her adult daughter, Heidi Wallace, who lived in Maryland, and met the grandson who set the whole miraculous encounter in motion.
Despite being close, the past remains raw even after all these years.
“I just wanted the best in any way, whatever capacity her parents could give me,” Sandra shared, her voice tinged with emotion, as she recounted how she had given up her daughter for adoption. “And those wishes have exceeded more than I thought.”
For decades, she carried the weight of that choice, often thinking about the girl she never got to know, but always hoping her daughter had found a loving home.
For Heidi Wallace, the revelation of her birth mother’s identity was nothing short of transformative.
An Arizona woman is reunited with her daughter after more than 50 years apart
Sandra Weeden, right, was reunited with her adult daughter, Heidi Wallace, left.
Sandra Weeden was a 17-year-old high school student when she made the agonizing decision in 1970 to give up her newborn daughter for closed adoption.
“Go find your people,” Heidi urged others who might feel the same way. “There’s nothing like having the wholeness and fulfillment that I have now.”
The journey to reconnect with her mother began when her own daughter became interested in her family history.
Azhia-lin’s search led her to Ancestry.com, where using a DNA testing kit she discovered an unexpected match: her mother’s own biological mother.
“I think I found your mother,” he remembers telling his mother. “From then on it was history,” Azhia-lin said. ABC15. “Now it’s really cool that we have more family.”
The couple first met on an emotional FaceTime call before deciding to meet in person in Mesa, Arizona.
When Sandra and Heidi finally reunited, the moment was overwhelming.
Decades of longing and unanswered questions dissolved in an instant as mother and daughter embraced for the first time since 1970.
Heidi’s own daughters, Azhia-lin and Jacqueline Wallace, were equally touched by the reunion.
The family got together over Christmas and took a fabulous family photo with Sandra at the center of it all.
Granddaughter Azhia-lin, pictured, made the family connection after a DNA test on Ancestry.com led her to find her mother’s own biological daughter.
Sandra (left) and her daughter Heidi (right) are seen sharing a musical moment together in front of the piano.
“I’m so happy we can finally connect,” Heidi said. “I hope more memories are made.”
Sandra (pictured) and her daughter Heidi have spent countless hours reconnecting, sharing stories and making new memories.
For Jacqueline, her grandmother’s discovery was nothing less than a gift.
“You can never have too much family,” he told KNXV. ‘I have this whole kind of family, different shades, different types, different colors. “Everyone is different and that’s the best thing.”
Sandra and Heidi have spent countless hours reconnecting, sharing stories, and making new memories.
For Heidi, the most profound part of rediscovery of her mother was simply knowing that she existed.
“I’m so happy we can finally connect,” Heidi said. “I hope more memories are made.”