Mother Thinks Her Daughter Died, Gets a Letter from Her 7 Decades Later: 'It's a Gift'

Over seven decades after a woman gave her daughter up for adoption and learned that the child had passed away, she received a surprise visit. Who was the visit from? Find out.

For some mothers who are not ready for parenthood, giving their babies up for adoption remains one of the most challenging decisions. Nevertheless, they must do it to ensure that the child grows up with a better family and enjoys a better life.

This was the plight of Brooke Mayo when she gave up her baby daughter, whom she named Delphine (later renamed Patricia), for adoption. Sadly, she was informed that the child had died some years later. However, in July 2013, she reunited with her long-lost daughter.

The reunion happened over 70 years after she gave the child up. The story of how they came to find each other remains intriguing to date. Here are details of what transpired.

AN UNFORGETTABLE INCIDENT

It was far back in November 1941 when Mayo decided to attend a dinner party in Hollywood Hills, shortly before her relocation to London. After driving herself to the venue and having a good time, she was on her way out when the unthinkable happened.

Mayo was attacked and sexually assaulted by a stranger. It was a terrifying experience as she did not see the man's face and could not report to the police. The woman explained:

"They would have said it was my fault. In those days, the man was never at fault. For anything."

Shortly after the assault, Mayo found out she was pregnant. She thought of having an abortion, but women frequently died from the process in those days.

So, Mayo kept the baby. However, she decided to give her up after being born. In 1942, Mayo welcomed her daughter and eventually gave her up for adoption as she had earlier decided.

Then she moved to London for a while before returning to America. When she arrived, she phoned the hospital to check on her daughter but received terrible news — the little one had passed away.

PATRICIA FINDS OUT ABOUT HER BIRTH MOM

Surprisingly, Patricia never died. She was adopted, and her adoptive parents never told her about her past. But when Patricia was in her fifties, she learned about the identity of her biological mother while trying to help her brother get a copy of his birth certificate.

She was furious about her adoptive parents' decision to keep Mayo a secret. "I don't know why. I just wish they would have told us the truth," Patricia noted.

After finding another Mayo, Patricia spent the next 20 years looking for her biological mother and eventually found her in Paso Robles.

INSIDE THE EMOTIONAL REUNION

In July 2013, over 70 years after her birth, Patricia walked into her birth mother's Paso Robles's home, leaving Mayo stunned. Mayo confessed: "I was in a daze. I'm still in a daze. I can't believe this. The people I talk to say it's like a book or a movie or something, it's just so amazing."

The mother-daughter pair connected and afterward stayed in touch by talking over the phone twice a week. In addition, Patricia constantly visited Mayo, and the latter was very grateful for the experience.

"It's a gift. It's a gift that God gave me. I must have done something right in this world. You know?" the older woman explained. Today, it is unknown if Mayo and Patricia are still alive, but it is great that the duo found each other, irrespective of the difficulties.