Jessica Nicole, 33, from Atlanta, Georgia, had always been aware that she was adopted
A woman, who was adopted when she was a baby, spent 15 years searching for her birth mother until she she received a surprise emotional FaceTime.
Jessica Nicole, 33, from Atlanta, Georgia, had always been known that she was adopted but was curious about who her birth parents were.
When Miss Nicole turned 18 she reached out to Catholic Charities – the organisation who oversaw her adoption – but was told her mother would have to ‘want to see her first.’
Disheartened but still determined, Jessica persevered for another 15 years, exhausting every online ancestry website and scouring the Facebook profiles of hundreds of women.
She searched using the only common denominator she had – her mother’s first name, Tammy.
Ms Nicole spent 15 years searching for her birth mother until she she received a surprise emotional FaceTime
Ms Nicole looks emotional as she documented the amazing moment she was contacted by her birth mother
Ms Nicole, a single mother, said: ‘My adopted family have always been open about my adoption and supportive in my search.
‘I always wondered if she ever thought about me.
‘I tried online ancestry websites, but I was only able to located third and fourth generations of family.’
In March, Jessica set up a Facebook page, ‘Looking for Tammy,’ where she was contacted by Monica Monger, who works for Catholic Charities.
When Ms Nicole turned 18 she reached out to Catholic Charities – the organisation who oversaw her adoption
Ms Nicole said: ‘I then started looking elsewhere again and decided to post a video to social media.
‘Months went by, but when I heard from Monica, I was excited.’
Discovering the mother-of-one’s page by chance, Ms Monger reached out to Tammy in secret.
Ms Nicole said: ‘Letters were sent and then I got the call to say she’d found her.
Ms Nicole’s biological mother and father- who put her up for adoption when she was a baby
Tammy, Ms Nicole’s birth mother, was contacted by Monica Monger after she saw a social media plea
‘I always knew we’d find each other – but I still couldn’t believe it.’
Soon after, Ms Nicole received a call from her birth mother.
Catching the aftermath of the call in her video diary, she is noticeably overcome with shock and emotion as she struggles to recall the encounter.
Ms Nicole admits she finally feels complete after more than three decades of uncertainty.
Ms Nicole (pictured right) admits she finally feels complete after more than three decades of uncertainty
‘I was sobbing on the phone because I felt like I was dreaming.
‘I kind of zoned out, it was all very surreal.
‘I’ve always thought about the moment we were separated, laying in her arms as a newborn in that cold hospital room – how she felt, what she was going through.
The mother says she was sobbing as she received the FaceTime call and ‘zoned out’
‘I never hated her for what she did.’
And now she has planned to meet up with Tammy in person.
Ms Nicole said: ‘We chatted for about 20 minutes.
‘We haven’t met yet, but we are working towards it.’
Ms Nicole, a single other-of-one, has planned to meet up with her birth mother
Tammy fell pregnant when she was still at high school, aged 15.
Keeping the pregnancy a complete secret until she went into labour, Tammy was forced by her mother to give her baby up.
Shortly after her birth, in 1984, she was placed into the care of Catholic Charities, before a family in Jackson, Mississippi, took her into their care.
Ms Nicole said: ‘My mother is a very private person and had been through a lot.
Ms Niole says the feeling of finally finding her biological mother is ‘indescribable’
‘We’ve both had or share of ups and downs, but we’re getting closer and connecting.
‘I’m looking forward to hugging her.
‘She’s also supportive in my search for my birth father.
‘The feeling is indescribable.
‘We both have found each other at a time in our lives when we both need one another.
‘I can’t wait to continue discovering each other.’