Benjamin Hulleberg always knew that he was adopted. His loving adoptive parents, Angela and Brian Hulleberg, were always open with him about his past.
He was always curious about his birth mother, but knew little more than her name.
“It was always a very positive conversation,” he said in an interview on Good Morning America. “It was my parents either expressing gratitude for Holly or me talking about how I’m grateful for her and how I want to meet her one day.”
Benjamin grew up to become a noble young man working as a middle school substitute teacher and volunteering at the neonatal intensive care unit of St. Mark’s Hospital.
On his 20th birthday, Benjamin received a message through Facebook that would mark a turning point in his life.
“Happy birthday. I hope you had a wonderful day,” the message said along with a group of happy emojis.
The message was from Holly Shearer, who was only 15-years-old when she gave birth to Benjamin. Still a child herself, Holly knew she would never be able to give Benjamin the life he deserved. She made the hardest choice of her life and put him up for adoption.
For a long time, Angela and Brian regularly sent Holly updates about Benjamin. But the updates eventually stopped and the adoption agency closed down. Holly was still curious about her son and wanted to know what sort of man he had become, so she started looking for him on Facebook.
To both of their surprise, Benjamin and Holly had been crossing paths almost every day in the same hospital where Holly worked as a medical assistant.
“Every morning, I would come in through the women’s pavilion to come into work. So I passed right by the NICU every single day. We parked in the same garage, could have been on the same floor, had no idea that we were so close,” Shearer said to Good Morning America.
Benjamin wasted no time inviting Holly for a dinner. Their families came together, and the reunion was an emotional and joyous occasion.
“Being able to sit down with my biological mom and just have coffee and talk before I go on my shift at the NICU? It’s been amazing,” Benjamin said.
Holly felt the same way. “It’s just exciting. I’m part of his life. Just knowing that his phone number is in my phone and I can call him or text him anytime … it’s amazing,” Shearer said to Good Morning America. “My heart is full.”
Watch the full news story below to learn more about this heartwarming reunion.