Mom Finds Girl She Gave up for Adoption 17 Years Prior When Her Daughter Pointed at Her in the Mall

When Gina Crotts gave her firstborn up for adoption, she didn’t think they would have the chance to reconnect. However, fate brought them back together.

Being a single teenage mom had its consequences, so when Gina Crotts got pregnant at 19, she decided to do what was best for the baby.

Living away from home and alone, Gina knew she couldn’t raise a child, so in 1999, she chose a couple who she believed would best raise her newborn daughter.

The following year, Gina gave birth to a beautiful girl, her “little butterfly.” She only had four days to spend with her infant, Kalyn, and in those days, she would whisper to her child:

“Be a good girl. Remember how much I love you. Remember my voice. Be a good girl.”

The first day they were apart, Gina felt an emptiness inside of her. A month later, Gina found herself engaged to a man, Brandon, and in four months, they were married.

Together, they went on to have three beautiful children. Although life continued for Gina, she never forgot about Kalyn. In fact, she made sure that her kids knew of her butterfly, even celebrating her birthday.

In the following months, the mother and daughter communicated through text until Kalyn decided to meet Gina’s family for Thanksgiving.

As time passed, Gina would receive a photo of Kalyn once a year but never met in person. “My goal has always been to become someone my little butterfly could be proud of,” she shared. “I wanted her to have a desire to meet me, to know who I am.”

Years later, while her then 13-year-old daughter Evie was at a mall dance rehearsal, the teen pointed at a girl who she believed was her sister. It had been 17 years since Gina last saw Kalyn, so she wondered if it could have possibly been her daughter or just another lookalike.

“I didn’t see my little butterfly when I turned around,” she shared. Instead, Kalyn’s adoptive father stood there with his hands raised. Gina immediately wanted to meet her daughter, but suddenly, she hesitated with the thought that Kalyn might not want to see her.

But Kalyn’s adoptive father motioned for Gina to come, and two steps later, she found herself looking straight into her little butterfly’s eyes.

“I reached out and grabbed her without hesitation and pulled her into my chest,” she recalled. “My arms tightly wrapped around her tiny body.” Fate had brought them back together.

In the following months, the mother and daughter communicated through text until Kalyn decided to meet Gina’s family for Thanksgiving.

Since their unexpected encounter, Gina’s life has been full of love and gratitude for both Kalyn and her adoptive parents, who raised and guided her well.

There have been similar stories of parents reuniting with their children years after being apart. Dan Bowers and Cande Coulter’s story is among them.

Coulter was still young when her parents divorced. Bowers, a soldier, came home from the Vietnam war a different man, and as a result, his marriage suffered. Forty years later, Coulter decided to look for her father and reunite.

These stories have since touched the hearts of many, giving hope to parents and kids who have been separated for years that they will meet each other again.