When she was 16, Joanne Loewensterm learned that her parents weren't her birth parents. She was also told that her birth mother was a woman named Lillian Feinsilver and she had died days after giving birth to her in New York. Feeling sad and doubtful, Joanne spent nights crying, wondering what her birth mother had been like. And yet, some part of her believed her mother was still alive. The doubts troubled Joanne for years.
Shelley, Joanne's daughter in﹣law, suggested taking a DNA test to find her birth family. That was in 2017, and Joanne was 79 years old. Joanne took the test, and about a year later Shelley received a message from a man named Sam Ciminieri , whose genetic report had matched him with Joanne.
Shelley immediately wrote back to Sam, asking whether he knew a Lillian Feinsilver." Yes," Sam said," that's my mother's name." Almost unbelievably, she was alive, at age 100 ﹣Joanne had been right all along.
But there were more shocks to come. Sam said that Lillian lived in an assisted﹣living facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Joanne lived in Boca Raton, more than 80 miles away.
The families quickly planned a reunion at the facility. A month later, Joanne found herself sitting across from the mother she had searched for her whole life. Lillian, who has dementia(痴呆) , was silent in a wheelchair.
"I don't know if she recognizes me, "Joanne said.
Joanne said to Lilian that she'd been told her birth mother had passed away. No expressions on Lillian's face, Joanne started to cry. At that point Lillian's eyes brightened. Joanne excitedly began telling Lillian all about her family. Lillian smiled. Then she said the words Joanne had waited more than 60 years to hear：
"This is my daughter."
Joanne learned that over the years, Lillian had repeatedly told her family that she" lost her daughter". Everyone, including Lillian, believed that the baby had died.
The two women spent that first afternoon together joyfully. "I'm proud," Joanne said. "This is something I wanted to do all my life."
