Imagine spending your entire life wondering where you came from. Decades of searching, hoping, and longing for answers—only to find them at age 78. That’s exactly what happened to Shelly Foster, and her story is as heartwarming as it is bittersweet.
Shelly always knew she was adopted. But growing up, she didn’t have the answers to the most pressing question: Who were her biological parents? It wasn’t until after high school that she even saw her birth certificate for the first time. Enlisting in the U.S. Air Force seemed like a good next step for her future, but little did she know, that decision would change her life forever.
During enrollment, Shelly was handed a copy of her birth certificate. For the first time, she learned her birth name: Ruth Mary Anthes. That single piece of paper sparked a lifelong search for her family.
Shelly’s quest wasn’t easy. In the pre-internet era, her best hope was scouring phone books in every town she visited, looking for anyone with the last name “Anthes.” It was a slow and often discouraging process.
Then, technology finally offered a glimmer of hope. Through online searches, Shelly discovered a heartbreaking truth: her mother had passed away. She would never get the chance to meet the woman who brought her into the world. But the obituary revealed something life-changing—Shelly had a half-brother named Fredric Vanderwoude.
With the help of her children, Shelly located Fredric in Breckenridge, Texas. When he agreed to take a DNA test, the results were undeniable: they shared the same parents.
For Shelly, the moment she spoke to Fredric on the phone was unforgettable. “It felt like a piece of me I didn’t even know was missing had been found,” she shared. The siblings quickly made plans to meet in person.
After 60 long years of searching, Shelly finally traveled to Shreveport, Louisiana, to reunite with her brother. The moment they met was nothing short of magical.
“I looked into his eyes and saw myself,” Shelly recalled to the NWF Daily News. “We both had hazel eyes. He hugged me and said, ‘Where have you been all my life?’”
Can you imagine what that moment must have felt like? Decades of unanswered questions, replaced by one embrace that said it all.
Shelly’s story is a reminder that it’s never too late to find what you’re looking for—and that family, no matter how far apart, can always find its way back together.
Would you wait 60 years to find your family? Share this incredible story with someone who needs a little hope today.
