South Florida

Emotional Mother and Daughter Reunion, Decades in the Making

It was an emotional reunion that a South Florida woman waited decades to experience, and still was not sure it would ever happen.

Becky Chechak found her mother through Ancestry.com. The company put them up at a hotel near Miami International Airport for a moment that will be etched in their minds forever.

Beverly Sweet was forced to give her daughter Becky up for adoption at birth 64 years ago. "When I had to sign the papers I was crying and shaking," Sweet said.

She got pregnant when she was 18. Two months later, her fiance, William Adams was called to fight in the Korean War. They didn’t want to tell their parents so, Sweet’s brothers secretly placed her into a home for unwed mothers.

When Becky was born, Beverly never even got a chance to hold her.

"I wasn’t allowed to go into the nursery but there was a window, and I just stood there and stared for hours," she said.

"Growing up I knew I was adopted," Chechak said. But she never searched for her mother until two years ago. Her husband Joe suggested she submit a sample of her DNA to Ancestry.com

"And we got the results back very quickly," she said. Within days, Joe made contact with Beverly’s third cousin Lisa who helped to get Beverly and Becky reunited.

And they both say they feel more complete than ever.

Becky lives in South Carolina. She says she and her mom will be staying in touch more often over the phone with more visits in the future.

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