54-year-old adopted woman Googled birth mom's name — immediately recognized her as a star from her favorite TV show
Being an adopted child often comes with a yearning to know who your biological parents are. People often seek closure to understand why they were put up for adoption. Biological parents, on the other hand, hope that their kids find a better life in someone else's house. However, things were different for Lisa Wright, reported TODAY. The woman was adopted and happy with her new family. She never thought about finding out who her biological mom was. However, over 5 decades later, when her teenage son urged her to get a genetic test, she complied and was shocked to discover that her birth mom had been a part of her life through a popular TV series all along.
All Wright knew about her biological mom was that she was 18 when she gave birth to her. "My (adoptive) mom told me, 'Your mommy loved you but she was really young and she knew she couldn't take care of you. You weren't abandoned. This was just the best thing for you'," Wright mentioned. At 54, the woman’s 18-year-old son insisted she get a DNA test and figure out who her real family is. When she got a match with a man, she reached out to him without wasting time.
As Wright was sharing all she knew about her biological mother with the man, things were beginning to unfold. "So I said, 'Well, I was born on December 10, 1964. I was told that my biological mom was very young when she had me. She moved to L.A. because she wanted to be in Hollywood.' And then he just stopped me right there,” Wright recalled. The woman was shocked to hear his impromptu response. He said, “Lisa, you're my niece. We've been looking for you. We've all been looking for you." The woman learned that her birth mom was also in Los Angeles, and couldn’t wait to connect with her.
The woman got a name and decided to look it up and was baffled to learn that her birth mom was none other than TV star Lynne Moody. The actress had starred in the 90s series “That’s My Mama,” “Roots,” and “E/R” among others. "I just could not believe it. For the first time ever, other than looking at my son, I'm looking at somebody who looks like me,” Wright remarked. She noted that the moment she called Moody was an “indescribable feeling.” “A voice on the other end says, 'Is this my daughter?' And then I just went, 'Is this my mother?' And then she goes, 'Yes, sweetie, this is your mom,’” the woman recalled.
Speaking together on the Tamron Hall show, the actress recalled the time she gave birth to Wright. “They thought it was best if I didn’t see my baby because if I did, I wouldn’t be able to forget her. They put a towel on my face so I wouldn’t see her. I couldn’t see her but I could hear her cry and I said I’m sorry,” she recounted. The duo met the very next day after their call and Wright even got Moody her first birthday card that read “Mom.” “I mean not knowing where you came from yeah for your entire life, you don't realize it's a hole until it's filled. It just answers so many questions that you really just never thought of,” Wright said in another conversation at the Tamron Hall Show.
In a way, Wright always knew Moody through her favorite TV show. She said, "I grew up watching my mother on TV and didn't even know it. 'That's My Mama' — that was our must-see TV. We all sat down and watched it every week, and who knew? That's my mama!" Moody shared a message from her story. She said, “Life is full of surprises sometimes, so hang in there. Be open to miracles, be open to surprises and keep the faith."