The woman managed to stay with the child for only 15 minutes, and then gave him up for adoption. She had no hope of ever seeing her son again. But an unexpected call from a stranger changed everything.
Brenda Van Sykle from Texas was only 16 when she gave birth to her first child. She stayed with her son for about 15 minutes, and then gave him to a nurse who took the child to the department for rejected children. Remembering what happened to her in 1975, Brenda always believed that she had done the right thing. She was too young and inexperienced, and without the support of her family, she simply would not have been able to raise a child. But she never left feeling guilty for what she had done.
A few years later, Brenda got married, got a job on television, and then continued her career in the public relations department of the Arlington Police Department. Her life went on as usual, until one day the bell rang in the house. “My name is Wes Fenner, and I’m calling you from New Orleans,” the stranger introduced himself. Then the man began to ask Brenda very personal questions about the events of 45 years ago. The conversation turned out to be strained and a little strange, but the woman still agreed to meet with the caller.
Two weeks later, Brenda was standing in the parking lot at the hotel and was waiting to meet a stranger when she suddenly heard – “Mom, it’s me.” The woman could barely stand on her feet. Tears streamed down her cheeks. In front of her stood a man who looked very much like herself. It was like looking in a mirror and seeing a younger version of herself. The son and mother hugged and stood there for about 20 minutes. Brenda wiped the tears rolling down Wes’s cheeks, still not believing her eyes.
Then they started talking and couldn’t stop talking for hours. It turned out that once upon a time Brenda tried to look for her son, but could not get any information about him. There were too few facts–only the date and place of birth.
It was also not easy for Wes to find his biological mother, especially after 45 years since his birth. He had not dared to do this for several decades, not knowing what to say to her when they met.
In the USA, about 100 thousand children are given up for adoption every year. In Texas, there is a common registry through which children and their biological parents can find each other. But Wes went the other way: he did a genetic blood test, and his DNA data matched another person in the database— it turned out to be Brenda.
Brenda and Wes have a lot to learn about each other. The guy’s life turned out well. He got into a kind and loving family, got an education and now works in a large bank. Wes is married and raising a nine-year-old son, whom he plans to introduce to his grandmother soon.
Mom and son turned out to have a lot in common. They like the same music and the same movies. They laugh at the same jokes, and Brenda repeats every time: “Oh, yes, this is my baby.” Their unexpected meeting is the beginning of the path that Brenda and Wes now want to walk together.
