The decision to give up a child for adoption is a difficult one, to say the least. Oftentimes, even when adoption is in everyone’s best interests, both parties find themselves dreaming of meeting one another again as the years go by. That dream became a reality last month for Winter Park, Florida, resident Tammy Oswalt and her son, Bruce, who she’d given up for adoption as a newborn!
Tammy Oswalt from Orlando, Florida, spent a life filled with multiple trials and tribulations. Her partner had just left her, she’d lost her job and she was nearly homeless. Oswalt shared that she wanted her son, whom she named “Bruce,” to have a happy and normal life, which she couldn’t give him. After much thought, the expectant mother took a decision that would continue to tug at her heart for the rest of her life — she decided to give up her newborn son for adoption.
“He deserved a family with two loving parents, a stable home, and everything else I couldn’t provide at the time … It tore me up daily wondering where he was, how he was, and if he hated me,” she explained. Bruce eventually was adopted and renamed Dylan. Tammy and his adoptive mother stayed in touch for a time, but when Tammy’s later inquiries went unanswered, she decided to step away quietly. She always maintained the hope that she’d see her son again.
Little did she know, Dylan had found one of Tammy’s daughters, Sammy Hewett, online last fall. The siblings communicated for months before Sammy finally let it slip to Tammy that they’d been in contact. Mother and son had their first conversation – by phone – in August. Then last month, just a few days after Tammy’s birthday, Sammy invited her out for dinner where Sammy unveiled a huge surprise: “I want you to meet your son, Dylan,” she said. That’s when Tammy looked over her shoulder to see the son she once believed she’d never see again leaning against the post behind her.
Their reunion will undoubtedly be a memorable event in their lives. The grieving mother had yearned to hold her son in her arms for 18 years, and when the opportunity arose, she jumped at it. Oswalt and Dylan exchanged a lengthy and touching embrace. “So much ran through me the instant I turned around and saw him.” I really wanted to hold and kiss him because there was so much love in the room.
For the first time since I last held Dylan in my arms, I felt complete. To their surprise, Dylan and Oswalt discovered that they lived only 90 minutes apart. The long-separated mother and son declared their plans to reunite and repair their connection. A fantastic family reunion Oswalt expressed her happiness by saying that reuniting with her son made her feel complete.
We’re overjoyed that Oswalt has finally found closure for a mother who has waited over two decades to welcome the son she has never stopped loving. What do you think about this beautiful family reunion story? If this incredible story warmed your soul, please spread some love and share it with your family and friends.