Mother considered her daughter dead, and she found her 40 years later

Melissa’s biological mother decided to dispose of the baby in a barbaric way that is no longer used: a saline abortion. In essence, this is the induction of premature birth, when a woman’s amniotic fluid is pumped out and a caustic saline solution is poured in its place. The procedure went “as expected” – labor began, the doctors removed the tiny fetus and unceremoniously threw it into a bucket of medical waste. Fortunately for Melissa, one of the nurses heard her squeak. The woman pulled out the baby and began to nurse.

The baby was very weak. She was diagnosed with jaundice, respiratory distress, and the girl suffered from convulsions. Doctors did not make optimistic forecasts. But they said that if she survived, then she would probably have problems with vision, hearing and developmental delay.

After three weeks in intensive care, Melissa was transferred to the University Hospital in Iowa City. Only the nurses cared about the tiny patient: they knitted tiny booties, sewed undershirts. One of the nurses, Mary, gave the baby a temporary name – Katie Rose. Then their friendship began – a child and a doctor.

When the girl was three months old, she was adopted by a married couple, Linda and Ron Odena. At that time, they were raising four-year-old Tammy, also a foster child. It was then that Melissa received her permanent, “legitimate” name.

Melissa’s adoptive parents kept in touch with Mary: they wrote to her, sent her new photos. Then Melissa herself began writing letters to her first friend.

“Mary made me feel special. After all, she took care of me when no one else cared about me, “- 40 years later, Melissa told the publication Daily Mail.

By the age of five, Melissa was no different from her peers: the care of doctors and parents did their job.

The girl found out that she was a step-daughter to her parents when she was 14 years old. And by chance. Tammy, Melissa’s sister, shouted to her in the heat of an argument: “At least my parents wanted me!” The shocked girl rushed to her parents, who eventually revealed to her the secret of her birth. But if not for Tammy, Melissa would never have known the dire circumstances under which she was born.

“My world collapsed that night. I was angry, I was hurt, ashamed and scared. I felt guilty for being alive, ”says Melissa.

The psychological trauma was powerful. Melissa has turned into a very difficult teenager: alcohol, promiscuous sex, bulimia.

“I drank a lot to numb the pain. But even my parents never realized how much it hurt. I hid my feelings well, ”the woman says.

Over time, Melissa managed to pull herself together. The girl entered the University of South Dakota, studied political science. The desire to find her roots simply incinerated her. And the 19-year-old girl undertook to look for her biological mother.

Breaking through all the documents, medical records and certificates, Melissa found the names of her maternal grandparents. I found their address and wrote a letter. Her grandfather answered: he said that they had not communicated with her mother for a long time, and asked not to bother them anymore.

And then a breakthrough. Melissa found out that the administrators of the hospital where the terrible abortion had been performed had forgotten to erase her parents’ names. She found her mother’s medical record. Melissa wrote to her father. At that time she was already 30 years old.

“I was sure that he did not even know about my birth. I just wanted to say that I exist, that I am not angry and do not blame him for anything. But he didn’t answer me, ”says Melissa.

Six months later, the woman found out that her biological father had died. After reading the obituary, the woman was able to contact her brother. The young man knew about Melissa: he read her letter, found her, sorting out his father’s papers.

“He said that his father told him about some incredibly shameful act. But he didn’t know what kind of act it was, ”the woman shrugs.

As it became clear to her later, he knew about the pregnancy of Melissa’s mother. And he knew she was being forced to have an abortion. But he did nothing to support her.

Melissa temporarily gave up the search. She got married and gave birth to two daughters. Melissa was already 36 years old when she received an email from her uncle: he wrote to the woman when he learned that she was in contact with her father’s family. He said that her parents had been together since school. They were going to get married after college. Melissa’s mother was seriously involved in sports, because of this, she had irregular cycles. Therefore, she did not even suspect about pregnancy until the third trimester.

Melissa’s mother did not want to have an abortion. But her parents were against her relationship with her fiancé. When Melissa’s grandmother found out about her 19-year-old daughter’s pregnancy, she forced her to have an abortion. Moreover, my grandmother was a professor at the University of South Dakota when Melissa studied there. And that is not all. The grandmother practically interrupted her daughter’s pregnancy with her own hands: she led a team of doctors. And so that no one even had thoughts to save the newborn, she insisted that the doctors leave the operating room immediately after the procedure. But somewhere she miscalculated.

“It was an incredible shock. After all, I thought for so many years that my mother never wanted me, ”says Melissa.

The girl was secretly given for adoption. The mother’s signature on the adoption consent was forged. Most likely, this was done by the woman who saved the baby.

“I have never seen this nurse. Probably, she is no longer alive. But she’s a real angel. I owe her my life, ”- these lines Melissa wrote in her memoirs. Now she is a famous proliferator, writer, motivational speaker. Yes, she is against abortion.

All this time, Melissa’s mother did not even suspect that the girl had survived. Uncle introduced them – also by e-mail. And for another three years they corresponded: it was scary for both of them to take the last step. And in the end they met. Melissa was 40 years old. Her mother is 59. Melissa’s grandmother had already died by that time.

“My mother has lived all these years with incredible guilt. I said I didn’t blame her for anything. I forgave her long ago. And her, and her grandmother, and her father, – says Melissa. “Forgiveness frees us from pain. She will not fix what happened. But we are all human, we are all wrong. “