Every year, about 135,000 children are adopted in the U.S. Many of these children might never know their birth parents due to the laws in their birth state. Fortunately, states such as Pennsylvania have enacted laws making it easier for adopted children to learn who their birth parents are.
Here is a story about one such pairing, a mother and the son who she put up for adoption 35 years ago.
A Tough Choice
At only 15-years old Stacey Faix had a choice to make, keep her baby or give it up for adoption. At the time, adoption seemed like her only choice, so she gave her baby up. Sadly, she never got to hold him and believed she would never see her baby boy again.
Stephen Strawn
That child grew up to be Stephen Strawn, a military veteran who lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As he grew up, he had always wondered who his birth mother was. After his birth records were lost in a flood, he thought he would never find her. Then, a 2017 change in the laws in Pennsylvania, that allowed adoptees access to their birth certificates, changed everything.
Determining the Identity of His Birth Mother
Stephen soon knew who his birth mother was; a woman who lived in Ohio named Stacey Faix. Excited, Stephen searched for her name on Facebook. He found a few. Not knowing if he had the correct Stacey Faix or not, he messaged who he though she was on Facebook.
“I sent her a message and said, ‘Hey, I have a really weird question. Did you put a baby boy up for adoption in 1982?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘I think you may be my biological mom.'”
Even though they hadn’t seen each other in 35 years, they still had a lot in common. They both were a part of different chapters of the same veterans support group, Team RWB. In fact, both Stephen and Stacey were set to run in the Pittsburg Half Marathon.
Setting Up a Meeting
Getting in touch with the Pittsburgh chapter of Team RWB, Stephen set up a surprise for his long lost birth mother. He wanted to surprise her at the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. The organization worked with him to time the whole thing and even helped him get the media there for this sweet reunion. Stephen even had to hide in a port-a-potty as he waited to meet his birth mother for the first time.
A Mother and Son Meet for the First Time
Stephen wrote her a card stating how it had been 13,075 days since Stacey had last seen him. As Stacey read the card, Stephen walked quietly up behind her. As she turned around, Stephen was there smiling at her. Then Stacey, who had never gotten to hold Stephen when he was a baby, finally got to put her arms around her long lost son.
Ugly Cries All Around
Stephen also got to meet his biological sisters and everyone had an “ugly cry.” After running the marathon together, and catching up, the whole group went to a cookout together. When all was said and done, Stephen and Stacey had forged a new bon with plans for a further cookout during the summer.
The Sweet Reunion Caught on Tape
Stacey even gave a word of encouragement for parents searching for their children who they gave up for adoption, telling them not lose hope. Local media caught the whole reunion on tape, as Stephen and Stacey hugged for the first time after 35 years apart.
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