Twitter Helps Teenager Reunite with Mother
“A teenage girl has finally been reunited with her birth mother after 19 years – all thanks to a tweet that went viral.
Hannah Stouffer, from Des Moines, Iowa, rang in her 19th birthday on April 12 by sharing her story on Twitter, appealing to strangers to help identify the woman who put her up for adoption when she was a baby.
Just three days later, she received a text from Nicole Reinier, who had seen her post online. After a brief conversation, it became clear to both women that they were indeed mother and daughter.
‘Honestly I felt like I was going to throw up, like I wanted to scream,’ the Grand View University freshman, who has a one-year-old daughter of her own named Gracelynn, told KCCI.
In Hannah’s post, which was eventually retweeted more than 50,000 times, she is pictured carrying a sign that reads: ‘My name is Hannah. I was born April 12, 1995, at the Des Moines Hospital in Iowa. I was adopted through a closed adoption and am trying to find my birth mom.’
Nicole was alerted to the post after it circulated around the internet, and she managed to track down Hannah’s number and contact her.
After at first being skeptical of her identity, Hannah said she knew Nicole, who also lives in Des Moines, was genuine when she told her she’d left her with a blanket and an outfit before putting her up for adoption.
‘I know no one else would have known that,’ explained Hannah.
On Saturday, the pair finally met at a local coffee shop, where their emotions poured forth as they realized how similar they truly are.
It wasn’t just a mother Hannah gained this weekend; she was also introduced to her younger sister and step-sister, who were both born years after Nicole had Hannah at the young age of 15.
And Hannah couldn’t be happier with her new-found family. ‘I don’t feel that empty feeling anymore,’ she told the Des Moines Register.
‘She kept telling me how beautiful I was,’ said Hannah. ‘She kept saying she was so truly thankful for my parents.
‘I couldn’t ask for a better life,’ she added. ‘I couldn’t ask for better parents. All in all it was the best decision for me and her.’
On the day Nicole finally met Hannah, the mother-of-three changed her Facebook cover photo to a picture of the two of them with her younger daughters.
She captioned the picture: ‘Today has been an amazing day! I was reunited with a piece of my heart that I never thought I’d find again! I feel like a brand new person!
‘My heart is on the mend and I’m overflowing with joy!!!’ she added. ‘Thank GOD for her wonderful parents! Hannah is magnificent!'”
Teen adopted as a baby is reunited with her birth mother just THREE DAYS after posting a tweet asking strangers to help find her[Daily Mail 4/22/14 by Margot Peppers]
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