AS THEY SAW EACH OTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME. I’M OVERWHELMED. YEAH. OKAY. AN EMOTIONAL REUNION. DECADES IN THE MAKING. STOCKTON RESIDENT LISA BECK SAYS MEETING HER MOTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME. IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME. I HAVE MY MOTHER. I KNOW WHERE I CAME FROM. I KNOW THE STORY. AND IT’S OKAY. WHEN SHE WAS 21, LISA ACCIDENTALLY FOUND OUT THAT SHE WAS ADOPTED AS A BABY. AND IN THE 35 YEARS SINCE THAT REALIZATION, SHE’S HAD SO MANY QUESTIONS. ALL THESE YEARS. I WANTED TO KNOW WHERE I GOT MY NOSE FROM. YOU KNOW, I JUST I WANTED TO KNOW. I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE I CAME FROM, WHO I BELONG TO. LISA SAYS HER ADOPTION RECORDS WERE SEALED. SO ANSWERS WERE HARD TO COME BY. HER DAUGHTER CONVINCED HER TO TAKE A DNA TEST, AND IN MARCH, THE RESULTS LED TO A PHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE WOMAN IN GEORGIA NAMED ODELIA RACHELLE. IT WAS JUST LIKE THE HOLE THAT WAS IN MY HEART ALL THESE YEARS BEGAN TO FEEL AFTER TALKING ON THE PHONE EVERY DAY. IT WAS TIME TO MEET IN PERSON. ODELIA FLEW TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY AND SAYS THIS MOMENT IS A DREAM. COME TRUE. I ALMOST GAVE UP HOPE BECAUSE I’M 76 YEARS OLD NOW AND MY PRAYER WAS JUST LET ME SEE MY DAUGHTER. ONE TIME BEFORE I LEAVE THIS PLANET EARTH AND ALL MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED. I GOT IT. IT’S MY GIRL. THIS IS MY DAUGHTER. THE PAIR ENJOY A MEAL AT KING’S KITCHEN AND BAR IN STOCKTON. THEY KNOW THIS IS JUST THE FIRST OF MANY MEMORIES THAT THEY FINALLY GET TO MAKE TOGETHER. I KNOW WHERE I BELONG. THAT’S RIGHT. REPORTING IN STOCKTON, ORKO MANNA, KCRA THREE NEWS. THAT’S PRETTY INCREDIBLE. LISA AND ADELIA SAY THEY ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETT
‘My prayers have been answered’: Woman reunited with birth mother after 55 years
Lisa Becks said a DNA test finally led to her finding her mother, Odelia Rochelle
Updated: 5:36 AM CDT May 19, 2023
It was a reunion more than 55 years in the making.Lisa Becks, of Stockton, California, met her biological mother, Odelia Rochelle, for the first time. When she was 21 years old, Becks said she accidentally found out that she was adopted while rifling through some paperwork at home. She has had so many questions about her lineage that she has wanted answers to over the past three-and-a-half decades.”All these years, I’m looking at where I got my nose from, you know, I wanted to know. I didn’t know where I came from, who I belonged to,” Becks said.Becks told sister station KCRA 3 that her adoption records were sealed, so answers were hard to come by. Her daughter convinced her to take a DNA test, and the results led to a list of potential relatives. In March, Becks finally spoke on the phone with Rochelle, who lives in Georgia. Rochelle flew to Northern California on Thursday, and they shared a meal together.”When I seen her, it was just amazing. The whole process was really amazing,” Becks said. “It means the world to me. I have my mother. I know where I came from. I know the story, and it’s OK.”Rochelle said the reunion with her daughter was extremely emotional, and she feels that she and Becks can finally make up for lost time.”It was just like the hole that was in my heart all these years began to heal,” Rochelle said. “I’ve always had love for her, I just couldn’t find her. I almost gave up hope because I’m 76 years old now, and my prayer was, ‘Just let me see my daughter one time before I leave this planet Earth.’ And all my prayers have been answered.”Rochelle and Becks both said they cannot wait to get to know each other better. A family picnic is planned for July.
It was a reunion more than 55 years in the making.
Lisa Becks, of Stockton, California, met her biological mother, Odelia Rochelle, for the first time. When she was 21 years old, Becks said she accidentally found out that she was adopted while rifling through some paperwork at home. She has had so many questions about her lineage that she has wanted answers to over the past three-and-a-half decades.
“All these years, I’m looking at where I got my nose from, you know, I wanted to know. I didn’t know where I came from, who I belonged to,” Becks said.
Becks told sister station KCRA 3 that her adoption records were sealed, so answers were hard to come by. Her daughter convinced her to take a DNA test, and the results led to a list of potential relatives.
In March, Becks finally spoke on the phone with Rochelle, who lives in Georgia. Rochelle flew to Northern California on Thursday, and they shared a meal together.
“When I seen her, it was just amazing. The whole process was really amazing,” Becks said. “It means the world to me. I have my mother. I know where I came from. I know the story, and it’s OK.”
Rochelle said the reunion with her daughter was extremely emotional, and she feels that she and Becks can finally make up for lost time.
“It was just like the hole that was in my heart all these years began to heal,” Rochelle said. “I’ve always had love for her, I just couldn’t find her. I almost gave up hope because I’m 76 years old now, and my prayer was, ‘Just let me see my daughter one time before I leave this planet Earth.’ And all my prayers have been answered.”
Rochelle and Becks both said they cannot wait to get to know each other better. A family picnic is planned for July.
