Woman Who Gave up Baby for Adoption Receives a Call 22 Years Later: 'He Works with You'

In a bizarre twist of fate, a woman was left shocked and speechless when she received an unexpected call at work one day. She cried tears of joy, unaware that the one person she'd yearned to find had been right around the corner all along.

Family reunion stories are heartwarming, and that's why we love sharing them from time to time. They remind us that miracles happen every day and enable us to believe in the possibility of things turning out for the best.

Today's story embodies a similar theme, where two strangers were brought together in a way they never saw coming. Their incredible story made headlines and touched the hearts of millions of people worldwide. We hope it warms your heart too.

A DIFFICULT DECISION

On October 5, 1985, Christine Tallady gave birth to a baby boy. She had made a difficult decision to abide by after her son was born. Little did she know, that decision would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Tallady, who was unmarried at the time, knew she couldn't take care of her baby boy as a single parent, so she put him up for adoption. She was young and unprepared for the challenges of motherhood, but at the same time, wanted the best for her son.

Before giving birth to her son, Tallady chose the family to raise him. She knew their background, including their education and Catholic faith, but not their names.

LONGING FOR HER SON

Tallady held her newborn son for a few moments, and then the nurse took him away. She hoped her sweet boy would grow up in a loving family. Years went by, but she never forgot about her son. Often, she saw parents with baby boys and wondered if it was him.

Their reunion story garnered sheer praise and love from people worldwide and was covered by Mlive, NBC News, TODAY, CNN, and Fox News.

Every year, she thought about him on his birthday, and on Halloween, she yearned to see how he dressed up. Eventually, she married and had two more children, but thoughts of the child she gave up years ago never left her mind.

GROWING UP IN A STABLE ENVIRONMENT

Tallady had left the adoption record open, hoping that her son might contact her one day. Life went on for her as it did for Steve Flaig, who grew up in a stable home with parents Pat and Lois Flaig.

They loved and protected their son and gave him a solid moral upbringing. Steve knew from the beginning about his adoption, but he never doubted his parents' love for him. When he turned 18, he told them he wished to search for his birth mom.

The Flaigs supported his decision and agreed to help him every step of the way. Soon afterward, Steve went to DA Blodgett for Children, the adoption agency that arranged his adoption, and asked them for his adoption records.

A SHOCKING REVELATION

A few months later, Steve received the documents that included his birth mother's name. He scoured the internet but failed miserably. Finally, in October 2007, around his 22nd birthday, Steve made an unexpected discovery.

He had misspelled his birth mother's surname as "Talladay" instead of "Tallady," which returned the search results empty for almost four years. After typing the correct surname, he found an address on West River Drive, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

It was less than a mile from the Lowe's store where he worked as a delivery truck driver. When he mentioned it to his boss, she said, "You mean Chris Tallady, who works here?" Steve was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say.

THE UNEXPECTED PHONE CALL

He never expected to find his birth mom only a few aisles away at work. Steve had worked at Lowe's for two years, and Tallady was hired in April 2007. For two months, he struggled to approach her and nervously looked at her from a distance. He told TODAY:

"There’s always that fear that it could potentially go wrong or something wouldn’t go right. So I had to be 100 percent sure before I went ahead with it."

Finally, Steve went to the adoption agency and asked them for advice. An employee offered to call Tallady and break the big news. On December 12, 2007, Tallady received a phone call at Lowe's store, where she worked as a head cashier.

"HE WORKS WITH YOU"

It was a call from DA Blodgett, and they told Tallady the son she gave up 22 years ago wanted to meet her. Tallady was shocked and wondered how the adoption agency knew about her workplace. But what came next baffled her even more. Tallady recalled:

"And then she said, 'Christine, he works with you.' It was a shock. I started crying. I figured he would call me sometime, but not like this."

Tallady was only given her long-lost son's first name, so it took her a while to verify the correct Steve. But when she realized it was the young delivery-truck guy, she couldn't control her emotions.

A LONG TIME COMING

Steve called his biological mom later that day, and the pair had an emotional reunion at the Cheers Good Time Saloon near the Lowe's store. They hugged, cried, and chatted non-stop for almost three hours.

A teary-eyed Tallady appreciated her son's upbringing and credited his adoptive parents. She also told her husband, Dale, and her other two children, Alexandra and Brandon, about Steve. The kids were eager to meet their half-brother.

In 2008, Steve left Lowe's and began selling tickets for Delta Airlines at Gerald R. Ford International Airport. But he and Tallady stayed in touch. Steve's adoptive parents, Pat and Lois, were relieved to know their son had finally found his birth mother.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Their older son, Scott, had also found his birth mother a few years ago. Pat shared that he was happy that his sons, Steve and Scott, had two loving families. He also thanked Tallady for giving him a chance to raise Steve. Tallady expressed:

"These are the parents I chose for him. I gave birth to him, but they raised him, gave him his morals."

Steve shared that he was ecstatic to find his birth mother, and he would always consider her his family. For Steve, Tallady, and their families, Christmas 2007 became memorable.

GARNERING WORLDWIDE ATTENTION

Their reunion story garnered praise and love from people worldwide and was covered by Mlive, NBC News, TODAY, CNN, and Fox News. Steve and Tallady were invited on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, who gave the pair and their families a Caribbean vacation.

Tallady said her life was complete, and she could openly tell everyone she had three children. Please share this heart-melting reunion story with your loved ones, and let us know your thoughts.

Here's another story that follows a similar theme. It's about a son who waited for four decades to hug the mother who gave him up for adoption as a baby. You can read the whole story here.