Thanks to an unexpected Facebook post from his original mother in November of last year, a Utah man has finally been reunited with his biological mother.
Angela and Brian Hulleberg adopted Benjamin Hulleberg, a middle school substitute teacher, when he was a newborn. The 20-year-old has known about his adoption since he was a child, but he has always been fascinated by his birth mother, whom he only knew by her first name, Holly.
Benjamin recalled his talk with his adoptive parents, saying, “It was always a pretty upbeat discussion. My parents were either thanking Holly or talking about how grateful I am for her and how I hope to meet her one day.”
Holly Shearer, meantime, couldn’t stop thinking about the baby she had put up for adoption on Thanksgiving Day 20 years ago. “He was constantly on my mind. More so over the holidays and on his birthday, when he experiences a roller coaster of emotions “According to Good Morning America, the 36-year-old said. “I couldn’t stop thinking about him.”
Holly was a young adolescent when she placed her child for adoption, and the Hullebergs wrote her letters and sent her pictures of her baby for three years. The communications stopped after their adoption agency closed in 2014, and Shearer was naturally curious about her son. She searched for Benjamin on social media in an attempt to locate him and eventually came on his Facebook page.
“When I found him, he was 18 years old, and I was hesitant to approach him. He had a lot going on in his life…. The last thing I wanted to do was cause a snag in his plans. So I just stood there and observed from afar “The 36-year-old recalled. Meanwhile, Benjamin had been on the lookout for her as well. He planned to write her letters and had registered with an adoption registry in the hopes of finding her. He even underwent a DNA test in the hopes of locating his biological mother, whom he only knew as Holly.
Then, in November of last year, she wished Benjamin a happy birthday, and his life has never been the same since. “I recall just where I was when I received the message. I was at work at the time. I worked as a machine operator, and I recall being assigned to machine No. 15 “Benjamin agreed.
“I was in the middle of our hourly quality checks when I checked my phone and noticed her message, which I promptly responded to. It hit me like a ton of bricks when she contacted me back and genuinely explained who she was “Benjamin, who immediately burst into tears, recalled this. “I was in tears. It was all a whirlwind of good feelings. But for me, this is a day I’d been looking forward to for the past 20 years, and the fact that it was actually occurring was incredible. It was a lot to take in all at once.”
He set up a meeting with Holly right away, who was taken aback by the sudden offer. “The next day, we scheduled a dinner at Red Robin with both of our families,” she added. “I couldn’t stand waiting any longer. I’d been waiting for 20 years, and I’d had enough “The young man remarked.
Furthermore, the two discovered that they had been working at the same location for the previous two years. While Holly worked as a medical assistant at St. Mark’s Hospital’s Heart Center in Salt Lake City, Benjamin volunteered at the hospital’s neonatal critical care unit.
“Every morning, I would enter the building through the women’s pavilion. So I drove straight past the NICU every day. We were both parked in the same garage, possibly on the same floor, and had no idea we were so near “The mother expressed herself.
It’s been a tremendously “therapeutic” experience for Benjamin. “I had a small hole in me that I wasn’t aware of, and finding them filled it in nicely. I have a strong sense of being whole and complete. I finally feel like I’m ready to go on with my life “He went on to clarify.
