A Woman Reunites With Her Birth Mother 34 Years After She Was Given Up for Adoption

No matter how loving their adoptive family is, some adopted children still have the desire to meet their biological parents someday. Rachel Ruiz, a freelance photographer from Utah, has been searching for her birth mother for 10 years, and she faced many obstacles before finally reuniting with her. In an emotional video, Ruiz captured the once-in-a-lifetime moment that moved millions of people to tears.

Ruiz’s birth mother, Angie Howard, was only 17 years old when she had her. Ruiz’s adoptive parents never concealed the truth about her being adopted, and on her 18th birthday, they gave her a letter Howard wrote on the day Rachel was born. In the letter, she expressed the wish to reunite with her daughter someday.

Rachel was adopted when she was just a baby.

However, under ’’closed adoption’’ rules, both adoptive and birth parents maintain their privacy, so Rachel grew up knowing only the basic information about her birth mother. She was determined to find her to thank her and show her that she was happy: “I wanted to let her know that she made the right decision.”

Despite the obstacles, Rachel never gave up.

Ruiz turned to the adoption agency for help, but after they declined to provide more information, she continued investigating on her own. Back in 2014, Ruiz did a DNA test through an online genealogy company and found out her maternal grandfather’s last name. From there, she kept googling until she found her birth mother on Facebook. They exchanged messages and made plans to reunite: “It was so surreal,” Rachel recalls.

’’It was like looking into a mirror.’’

’’I finally reunited with my birth mom after 34 years! My adoption was closed, and I’ve been trying to find her for over 10 years with failed attempt after failed attempt," Rachel captioned the touching video that struck a chord with millions of viewers. When they finally got a chance to embrace each other, the emotions came flooding: "We have the same facial features, a low voice, and we’re both artistic and free-spirited. It was like looking in the mirror,’’ Rachel says.

Her blended family continues to grow.

Angie also met the rest of the family, including Ruiz’s adoptive mom and dad: “My mom thanked Angie, as my parents couldn’t have biological children,” Ruiz says, adding that her birth mother was so grateful to learn that her baby grew up in a loving home. On that same day, Rachel met her biological grandmother, who passed away just 3 days later. Ruiz and her husband are parents to an adopted son and are expecting a baby girl via surrogate this summer.