Amazingly, Fate has a sense of humor.
From the beginning, Benjamin Hulleberg was aware that the family he spent his formative years with was not really his. Angela and Brian Hulleberg, his adoptive parents, were upfront with him about their relationship.
He told Good Morning America that the conversations were “always really good.” It was either my parents thanking Holly or me saying how thankful I am for her and how I want to meet her someday.
Holly was a name he didn’t hear very often, but it had weight.
Hulleberg became a remarkable adult. He started working as a volunteer in the newborn intensive care unit at St. Mark’s Hospital and as a substitute middle school teacher.
And for all of those years, he’s been interested in learning more about his biological mother. He had no idea that someone else was experiencing the same emotions.
Hulleberg eventually got the message he had been hoping for on his 20th birthday.
It merely contained the words “Happy birthday. I really hope you had a great day. with a few emojis, including a heart, a present, and a birthday popper. When Hulleberg inquired about the woman, his life was permanently altered.
“I still clearly recall where I was when I received the message. I was at my job. I recall being in machine No. 15 when I was a machine operator, Hulleberg told Good Morning America. I checked my phone while performing our hourly quality checks, noticed her message, and immediately answered.
The woman identified herself.
When Holly Shearer was only 15 years old, she became pregnant with Benjamin. Benjamin was given up for adoption because she knew she couldn’t give him the life he deserved.
She has received updates since Angela and Brian Hullenberg adopted her son. But Shearer was left to her own curiosity when the updates ceased and the adoption agency folded. She then came across Hulleberg’s Facebook page.
They had the opportunity to meet sooner than they realized.
Shearer was employed by the same hospital where Hulleberg did his job in the NICU. At the hospital’s heart center, she was a medical assistant.
“I used to enter the building for work through the women’s pavilion every morning. I therefore went right by the NICU every day. We may have been on the same floor and had no idea we were so near, Shearer told Good Morning America. We had parked in the same garage.
Since then, the two have spent time together.
Hulleberg promptly invited Shearer to supper after learning the truth. The meeting of their families was happy and emotional.
Being able to sit down and chat over coffee with my biological mother before starting my shift in the NICU? It’s been fantastic,” he declared.
It’s simply thrilling. I participate in his life. It’s fantastic, just knowing his phone number is in my phone and I can text or call him whenever I want, Shearer told Good Morning America. My heart is overflowing.
Take a look at how a man connected with his biological mother via an online message in the video below:
