In a touching Christmas story that spans over five decades, Sandra Hicks, now 71, shares the incredible journey of reconnecting with the daughter she gave up for adoption in 1970.
The heartwarming tale unfolds as Sandra, then 17, faced a challenging decision during her senior year of high school.
“I didn’t feel like I had a choice back then,” reflects Sandra on the difficult decision she made to give up her baby for adoption.
In the moving story first published by ABC15 Arizona, it has been stated that Hicks moved from her home in Alaska to a maternity home in Washington in 1970, where she turned 18 and gave birth to a baby girl.
However, the emotional moment of holding her newborn lasted only 30 minutes before her daughter was taken away.
Closed adoptions and the lack of information meant Sandra had no way of knowing where her daughter lived. But fate intervened earlier this year when Sandra received a notification on her Ancestry.com account. Across the country, Sandra’s granddaughter, Azhia-Lin Thompson, had been conducting research and unexpectedly located her biological grandmother.
“I was at a loss for words because I couldn’t believe I actually located my mom’s biological mother,” Azhia-Lin recalls.
The long-lost daughter, Heidi Lynn Wallace, received the news with a mix of emotions.
“I was in the middle of crying. My mom came in the house and was like, ‘Who do I need to beat up,’” says Azhia-Lin.
The connection between mother and daughter, now grandmother and granddaughter, was made over Facetime, leading to an emotional face-to-face meeting over Christmas weekend in Mesa. The reunion was 53 years in the making, bringing tears of joy and overwhelming emotions.
“Pulling up to her house, I was hyperventilating,” says Heidi Lynn Wallace.
The family’s shared love for music has already brought them together, with plans to collaborate on a rendition of the song “This Christmas” for the upcoming year.
For Wallace, this reunion is more than just a new chapter—it’s a whole new book, the ultimate Christmas gift.
As the family embraces their newfound connection, this heartwarming story serves as a reminder of the power of love, family, and the magic of the holiday season.
