Colleagues Park in Same Garage, Unaware They're Mom and Son Who Had Been Searching for Each Other for Years

With hopes of meeting his biological mom someday, a young man kept looking for her for several years. But as fate may have planned it, they happened to be colleagues who parked in the same parking lot and yet never met until things took a different turn on his 20th birthday.

A Utah man who was adopted at birth, and his biological mother, looked for each other for several years, hoping to meet someday. With vague hopes, the man wrote letters, took a DNA test, and even joined an adoption registry to find his long-lost mom.

But as a twist of fate, they didn't realize that they had worked in the same place, parked their cars in the same parking lot, and yet missed each other. One day, things took a different turn when he checked his phone on his 20th birthday.

PARTING WAYS ON THANKSGIVING DAY

Benjamin Hulleberg had always known that he was his parents' adopted child. Angela and Brian Hulleberg took Benjamin under their wings shortly after his birth. But growing up, he was always curious to know about his birth mother, whom he identified only by her first name, Holly.

They parked in the same parking lot and wandered on the same floor, yet without any clue that they had been looking for each other.

Holly Shearer was just 15 when she gave birth to Benjamin and placed him for adoption on Thanksgiving Day around 20 years ago. Although the Hullebergs kept updating her with letters and photos of Benjamin, they stopped three years later.

WATCHING FROM A DISTANCE

The Hullebergs always returned Benjamin's curiosity about his biological mother positively. They were aware that he was eager to meet her but were also uncertain about finding her since her whereabouts remained a mystery.

On the other hand, Shearer's curiosity grew with time after she stopped receiving updates about her son. When the adoption agency closed in 2014, she decided to find him somehow and get in touch. Thanks to social media, the mother landed on Benjamin's Facebook page after searching for his profile online.

Shearer was delighted to reunite with her son, who was 18 at the time. But her fears pulled her back. She caged her emotions within herself and decided not to drop a bomb on Benjamin, considering all that was going on in his life. Instead, the mother continued to long to meet him and watched him from a distance.

SPILLING THE EMOTIONS

Two years passed with Shearer's emotions piling up and Benjamin endlessly looking for her on the other end. On a fateful November 20, 2021, Benjamin was occupied at work when he got a birthday wish notification on his phone. His world rocked under his feet as he was torn between reality and illusion. He shared:

"I was in between our hourly quality checks, and I got on my phone, and I saw her message, and I just replied...When she texted me back, and she actually explained who she was, it hit me like a load of bricks."

Benjamin hadn't felt so emotional before. He cried as several positive feelings erupted because he had been waiting desperately for this day. Having dealt with an outburst of emotions, Benjamin immediately asked Shearer to meet him.

THE MOST AWAITED DAY

Unsurprisingly, this was what Shearer had waited for all her life, but she was shocked when it happened instantly. "I wasn't expecting that, but he wanted to meet right away," she said.

Unable to wait any longer, Benjamin and Shearer decided to meet the next day. On November 21, 2021, the families met for dinner at Red Robin, but Benjamin wasn't there yet.

Around five minutes later, he arrived and walked up to Shearer as unexplainable joy overflowed her. He tapped her on the shoulder, and they sat hugging for five minutes, just crying, unable to believe they had just reunited after 20 years of waiting.

COLLEAGUES

Benjamin was flooded with emotions. Sharing the one-of-a-kind experience exclusively with Good Morning America, he said, "When I saw her, she stood up, and she gave me a hug, and I cried," adding:

"I just looked at her, and I was like, 'You're real like you're in front of me.' And it was surreal."

The meeting between the families lasted more than three hours. During this time, Benjamin and Shearer were stunned by yet another revelation, which was them having worked in the same hospital in Salt Lake City for two years.

A FULLER HEART & SOUL

Benjamin volunteered at the neonatal intensive care unit while Shearer was a medical assistant at the Heart Center at St. Mark's Hospital.

As fate may have planned, Shearer would pass by the NICU, where Benjamin worked every day. They parked in the same parking lot and wandered on the same floor, yet without any clue that they had been looking for each other.

Since reuniting with his mom, Benjamin has connected with his younger half-siblings. Meanwhile, Shearer revealed that it was exciting to be a part of her son's life again. "Just knowing that his phone number is in my phone and I can call him or text him anytime … it's amazing...My heart is full," she recounted.

A REUNION FOR LIFE

As for Benjamin, he was thrilled, and it felt like a dream come true for him after meeting his mother. He also shared an encouraging message for those looking forward to meeting their long-lost biological relations.

"Don't give up hope...It came when I was least expecting it. It was something that just happened out of the blue. That isn't what happens to everyone," he stated.

For Benjamin, meeting his biological mom and reuniting with his half-siblings happened to be more than just healing. He felt complete and geared up to continue his life following their reunion!

How would you react to meeting a long-lost biological relation you knew existed but never met before? If in Benjamin's shoes, how else would you react to meeting your parent after 20 years of searching?

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to read about how a woman who had been visiting her gynecologist for almost a decade discovered he was her biological father after a creepy checkup.