Reunited: An Adoptee's Story | Adoptee Meets Birth Mom After More Than 40 Years Apart

Small’s AncestryDNA results connected her with a half-sister who told her that her Vietnamese mother was looking for her. During the Vietnam War, thousands of children were evacuated before the fall of Saigon as part of Operation Babylift. Leigh was one of them.

Follow along for the story of an adoptee reuniting with her biological mother after decades apart.

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[tnt]

You can tell the Vietnamese mother loved her child through photos. Back then in a country that was having a civil war, taking photographs was a luxury

[SuperTuhla]

Poor mother..and she looked like a child herself. A beautiful child.

[CaliKiwi-]

Her mom is so beautiful. She made the hardest choice a mom can..

[noyc]

I’m glad her half sister decided to help her mother find her daughter.

[OneEyeWise]

I was a Vietnam war child and this story made me cry, glad love is reunited, as for me ... life goes on, no matter what

[rosahacketts]

This is why it is so important that adoptee parents to educate and expose their adopted children about the cultural custom and heritage of their natural parent(s) in doing so there wouldn't be a struggle.

[ericamary]

I am so glad Leigh Small did the DNA test. Her Vietnamese mother was on Cath Turner's adoption story searching for her. So glad to see them reunited!

[toolate]

i found my mom after 44 years as well. i love this

[arneliashort]

I respect her mother so much. I have a little girl close to her age when she was given up. I CAN NOT FATHOM the position that she was in because I don't think I could continue to live without my child. I'm sure that woman's heart bled for 40 years until she saw her baby again.

[TruongNguyen-wmjq]

The greatest mom in the world . Respect the mom big time !

[julie-anna.a.]

My dad was on one of the individuals on the planes caring for babies during “Operation Baby Lift.” He is no longer with us, but used to tell us about his experience.

He unfortunately had nightmares on a daily basis about what he witnessed when the “doors” or “bay” closed on the plane, seeing parents screaming.

However, some of the “babies” now adults reached out and he was so grateful.

If anyone was apart of “Operation Baby Lift, ” I would love to speak/meet you. Your experience was such a big part of my dad’s life.

[marys]

I remember the week when the kids were brought over from Saigon in a plane. We had friends brought into our sixth grade classroom who also had a Vietnamese mom and American soldier dad, but he'd brought her and all children over. Only one was theirs together. All her other children were from a Vietnamese soldier helping the Americans, who had died fighting with us. For how difficult their lives were there, learning on a dirt floor classroom, they were all more advanced than us and valued their education immensely. It was a real lesson to me.

[JP-nzem]

they also almost have the same hairstyle. I am Vietnamese, She looks exactly like her Mom when they are together, but when she was apart I couldn’t tell she was half Vietnamese.

[onemarine]

I found a half brother (Vietnamese) using ancestry dna. He lives in Ca and I in Tn. My dad was a soldier in Nam. It has been great to meet my brother and his family.

[teriangel]

Her mother was stunningly beautiful!!!! ❤❤❤

[tonychin]

Very touching. Her mom has endured suffering for a half of century.

[michellepascual]

My mom has been looking for her biological mother in Guatemala for 72 years. I hope she too is able to have a 😊 happy story like you. Thank you.

[HerOwnScript]

“I just wanted to give her all the sunshine.”🥺❤️ Such a beautiful heart.

[lovinglife]

Vietnamese People are very family oriented. They love each other. I CAN'T imagine how her mother lives her intire life knowing she has a daughter living far away from her and not seeing her little girl growing up. I am happy that The daughter found her birth mother.

[tenbroeck]

Her mother is such a beautiful lady. What a great story- Of course I was adopted, and spent much of my life searching and feeling like an outsider.