Mom and Daughter Placed up for Adoption Have Teary-Eyed Reunion After 43 Years Apart

A mother and daughter had a tearful reunion after being apart for 43 years. Annette Gajewski placed daughter Beth Stewart up for adoption when she was a baby.

Since she was a child, Stewart has wondered about her mother. 

"Is that person who's behind me in line or walking past me on the street my birth mother?” she told KPHO she’d often think. “There's always been that wonder." 

When she was 18, Stewart learned the adoption records were sealed. She later turned to a DNA website. 

There, she found out Gajewski had been searching for her for decades. 

"She's always been here; she's always been in my heart,” Gajewski said. 

Stewart flew from Arizona to Michigan for the milestone meeting. 

“I just I never thought the day would come,” Gajewski said as she met her daughter. 

The pair went on to get matching tattoos and vowed to remain in each other’s lives. “That’s my momma!” Stewart said. “That’s my baby girl!” Gajewski replied.

RELATED STORIES