A Utah man reconciled with his biological mother after two decades apart when she sent him a Facebook message on his birthday in November.
Benjamin Hulleberg is a middle school substitute teacher who was raised by his adoptive parents, Brian and Angela Hulleberg. He spent his childhood yearning to see his biological mother, whom he only knew as “Holly.”
“It was usually a very good dialogue,” Benjamin, 20, told GMA. “It was either my parents expressing their thanks for Holly or me talking about how glad I am for her and how I want to meet her one day.”
Holly Shearer, 36, remembered the baby boy she had given up for adoption on Thanksgiving Day two decades ago.
When she gave birth to Benjamin, she was just 15 years old. For three years, the boy’s adoptive parents sent her letters and photographs, despite the fact that she only knew their first names and the first letter of their last names.
The updates, however, soon ceased, and their adoption agency dissolved in 2014. That’s when Holly began to have concerns about her son.
She went online and discovered Benjamin’s social media presence. He was 18 when Holly discovered him, but she was hesitant to make contact.
“He had a lot going on in his life….” The last thing I wanted to do was disrupt his life. “So I simply stood back and observed,” she explained.
When she gave birth to Benjamin, she was just 15 years old. For three years, the boy’s adoptive parents sent her letters and photographs, despite the fact that she only knew their first names and the first letter of their last names.
The updates, however, soon ceased, and their adoption agency dissolved in 2014. That’s when Holly began to have concerns about her son.
She went online and discovered Benjamin’s social media presence. He was 18 when Holly discovered him, but she was hesitant to make contact.
“He had a lot going on in his life….” The last thing I wanted to do was disrupt his life. “So I simply stood back and observed,” she explained.
Benjamin, who had talked with his parents about attempting to contact Holly for years, had no idea she had already found him. He did all he could to find his biological mother, including writing letters, signing up for an adoption registry, and taking a DNA test.
Holly eventually had the nerve to message Benjamin on his 20th birthday, two years after she discovered him online.
Benjamin would never forget that day.
“I recall exactly where I was when I received the message. I was at work at the time. “I was a machine operator, and I remembered being in machine No. 15,” he said. “I was in the middle of our hourly quality checks when I checked my phone and noticed her message, so I quickly answered.”
When Holly texted him back and disclosed her identity, Benjamin described the words as hitting him “like a ton of bricks.”
“I was sobbing. It was all really happy feelings. But for me, this was a day I had been looking forward to for the previous 20 years, and the fact that it was finally occurring was incredible. “There was a lot to take in,” he said.
Benjamin requested to see Holly straight soon, and they had supper with both of their families the next day, November 21, 2021.
When the mother and son first met, they had a deep embrace and sobbed.
“It was absolutely a dream come true,” Benjamin remarked. “I’ve said stuff like, ‘Oh, I’m so thrilled I graduated. It’s a fantasy come true.’ But what about this? This was the most accurate statement I’ve ever made.”
The two families talked for nearly three hours. During the talk, Holly and Benjamin discovered that they had both spent the previous two years working at St. Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Holly works as a medical assistant at The Heart Center, while Benjamin helps in the NICU.
“Every morning, I would enter via the women’s pavilion to get to work. So I walked straight past the NICU every day. We parked in the same garage, maybe on the same floor, and had no idea we were that near,” Holly explained.
Benjamin, who refers to Holly as “mom,” has subsequently made contact with his half-brother and half-sister. He also attempts to visit with Holly at her office at least once a week.
“Meeting my biological family, half-siblings, and biological mother was tremendously therapeutic for me,” Benjamin stated.
“There was a small hole in me that I didn’t know about and finding them truly filled it up. I’m feeling extremely entire, really complete. “I finally feel like I’m ready to go on with my life.”
We’re overjoyed that this mother and kid have been reunited. Even after 20 years apart, their love has remained constant.
To discover more about this touching reunion tale, watch the video below.
