Adoption takes place far more often than most people realize, and adopted children frequently spend their whole lives pondering the question of who their original parents are. Some adopted children look for years but are never able to uncover any results, while others are not even given a hint about their family background despite their extensive efforts. However, DNA testing is one technology that has made it simpler for adopted children to discover their original parents, even after the adoption record has been closed. This is true even when the test is performed after the adoption has been finalized.

This was exactly the situation that Lisa Wright, a resident of Los Angeles, California, found herself in. Wright was aware all of her life that she was adopted, but she never made an effort to locate her birth mother or any of her other relatives. Wright’s adoptive mother had ensured that her daughter was aware that she had not been abandoned, but rather that Wright’s original mother had just been a young woman when she gave birth to Wright when she was 18 years old.

After more than half a century, Wright finally decided to have a DNA test, which led to the discovery that her biological mother had played a larger role in her life than she had previously believed. Wright’s mother, Lynne Moody, did work as an actor on the television program that was Wright’s favorite when he was a youngster. Wright had been unknowingly seeing her mother on television on a near-daily basis when she was growing up. After all of these years, the two were finally able to locate one another and get in touch with one another thanks to DNA testing. In May of 2021, Wright and Moody had their very first phone conversation concerning their familial connection, which was followed by their very first face-to-face encounter since Wright’s birth.

Continue reading to find out more about this inspiring adoption tale and how Wright was finally able to get in touch with her birth mother after more than half a century of separation.

The adoption of Wright was finalized, which means that all trace of her biological mother was removed from official documents. Wright’s original family and the family that he had adopted did not communicate with one another, and they were not even aware of one another’s existence. According to American Adoptions, around 5% of adoptions in the modern era are terminated for various reasons.

According to a story from TODAY, Wright was nonetheless successful in locating her mother, Lynne Moody, via the use of DNA testing. The tale that Wright’s adoptive mother always told was that the reason Wright was put up for adoption was because her real mother was so young when she gave birth to her. As Wright explained it to TODAY:

“My mom told me that “your mama loved you, but she was incredibly young, and she realized she couldn’t take care of you.” My mom is not my biological mother; she is my adopted mother. Because I had such a strong desire to become a mother, your mother agreed to let me take care of you when you were a newborn. You were not deserted in any way. This turned out to be the very finest option for you.”

When Wright decided to find out more about her biological family via DNA testing, she was 54 years old. She said:

“I receive a notification that says, “This guy is your uncle,” and it’s quite confusing. Therefore, I immediately went out to them and said, “If you’re open to it, I would love to talk with you to understand what all of this means,” and they accepted my invitation.”

A few days later, Wright had a phone conversation with her uncle, and the conversation went more smoothly than Wright could have ever imagined it would:

“My stomach is in knots, and he asks me questions about myself as my heart is doing cartwheels. After that, I said, “Well, I was born on December 10th, 1964.” I’ve been informed that when my original mother gave birth to me, she was a very young woman. She relocated to Los Angeles in order to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. After that, he basically stopped talking to me then and then… Consequently, he tells Lisa that she is his niece. We’ve been searching for you. Everyone has been on the lookout for you.”

After learning that her mother resided in the Los Angeles area, Wright went online in search of a picture of her mother, Lynne Moody. As Wright explained it to TODAY:

“I just did not have the capacity to accept it. For the very first time in my whole life, other than when I look at my kid, I am now looking at someone who resembles me for the very first time.”

Moody emphasized how difficult it was for her to give up Wright, as she told TODAY:

“They covered both my face and my eyes throughout the delivery of my daughter so that I would not be able to see her. On the other hand, I could hear her crying. The only thing I could muster up the words for was “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, darling. I’m sorry.” As a mother, you never, ever, ever forget. All I did in those 50 years was work on figuring out how to make peace with it and accept it as part of my life. I had no way of knowing whether or not she was hungry, whether or not she was alive, whether or not she was happy, or whether or not she had been adopted.”

Moody continued by describing the emotions she had when she finally got to see her daughter for the first time since she was born:

“When I found out that she was my daughter, it felt as if I were in the process of labor and delivery at that very time. Due to the fact that I had lost both of my legs, I was on the ground in the fetal position, sobbing and screaming. I was clueless about the depth of the hole.”

Upon first meeting, Wright found out that Moody had appeared in her all-time favorite comedy from her youth, which aired on ABC in the 1970s and was called “That’s My Mama.” As Wright put it:

“I didn’t realize it at the time, but I spent my childhood watching television with my mother. That’s My Mama was the one show on television that we never missed. Who knew when we all gathered around the television to watch “That’s My Mama” each week? No idea. … And there she is: my mother!”