Three days later Lydia MacNair was born, her adoptive family picked her up from the hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. Now, Lydia is only about two weeks away from being reunited with her biological mother for the first time in 21 years.
A viral post helped Lydia find her mother, two brothers, two sisters, and a grandson. Ironically, she also has two brothers, two sisters, and a nephew on the adoption side. Lydia had to fill in the missing pieces in her family tree just 10 hours after first posting her search on social media.
Posting on social media on Black Friday was Lydia’s last attempt at leading the search for the woman who gave birth to her. Her next step is to hire a private detective. She has tried using 23 & Me but there were no consistent results for her loved one. So she started with the tweet, then updated her Facebook status. She also created a TikTok video with similar information, but her story went viral so fast she didn’t get a chance to post it.
‼️please share‼️I searched for my biological mother/family but no luck. A simple RT can help me find them. I was born on September 15, 2001(21 years old) The only information I have is that my biological mother’s name is Demonica and she lives in the northern Raleigh area. Topics below ️ pic.twitter.com/HDgO66ayyr
– Lyd (@lydiamacnair) November 25, 2022
Lydia spared no detail when she told me her story on Tuesday. Her voice on the phone was filled with excitement during an hour-long conversation about growing up and her journey back to her roots. Sometimes, I caught a change in her tone, as if her throat was choking with emotion. However, she remains gracious and open to all questions, even tough and invasive ones like, “you are making this story up to be influential” and “Do you think DNA testing is necessary?”
She didn’t make this up. Lydia assures me that she has the Amazing Grace adoption papers about her private adoption to prove it. And MacNair is in no hurry to do the bloody work, if at all. Matching dates. Her adoptive parents and biological mother met before her birth on September 15, 2001 – so the faces are all familiar.
How Lydia connects to her family after going viral
But when she posted, her only clues were her biological mother’s name Demonica, her date and place of birth, the name of the adoption agency, and knowledge of 3-4 siblings. her sister. However, she took her chance with the innanet investigators on November 25. A series of reactions occurred within minutes. People fill in her direct messages and comments section with leads.
In a recent interview, her sister Vivian Thorpe said ABC11 that Demonica had received a message about the adoption of a child. She searched for Lydia’s name on Facebook and the post popped up. She left a comment. Then she connects to Lydia in the DM.
Less than 12 hours after posting, she was on the phone with Vivian and their mother. The next day, Vivian drove about 3.5 hours from Raleigh to Asheville, where Lydia grew up, to meet her baby sister. They are about a year apart.
Lydia waited for Vivian to come to the window. She said that the first time they hugged, that moment brought her to tears immediately. She calls it a “a once-in-a-lifetime moment, full of love and happiness.”
The reunited sisters spent the day exploring Lydia’s favorite places in Asheville. They eat Mexican food that they both love and drink hot chocolate. But most of all, they talked nonstop. Even though they’ve been apart for 21 years, Lydia says it feels like they’ve known each other all their lives.
My adoption story…No words can express my gratitude to the thousands of people who have supported me along this journey. I never thought I would connect with my biological family and I’m glad they were just as happy to see me.🤍 pic.twitter.com/WykcoKX2Ry
– Lyd (@lydiamacnair) November 27, 2022
Lydia’s biological family searched for her but got her name wrong
Due to scheduling conflicts, Demonica and Lydia’s other siblings were unable to join the trip at the last minute. But December 15 couldn’t come fast enough for her. College seniors will return to Asheville for winter break. She will then head to Raleigh for the long-awaited reunion with her mother Demonica.
“I really feel like when I meet her is when everything will hit me in an instant and I’ll just know ‘wow.’ But it’s just a feeling…it still doesn’t feel real. I feel like I’m literally going to wake up tomorrow morning and all of this is just going to be a dream,” Lydia said. TSR. “It’s crazy to think like now, we actually have a date, like I’m going to go down there and see her. I’ve been waiting all my life for this moment and now it’s actually happening in a few days.”
The 21-year-old girl learns that her biological family is also looking for her. But they got the wrong name. Demonica wanted her youngest child to be named Michelle, but that request was lost in the adoption process. So Lydia’s adoptive parents chose their own child and started a new life together.
Lydia was raised in a predominantly white family and community
Lydia said she spent a full childhood living on a farm with an all-white adoptive family. She takes horseback riding, jazz, tap and hip-hop classes, and plays basketball and soccer. She excelled at school, eventually being admitted to Louisiana’s Xavier University. It was an achievement she was extremely proud of.
When her parents adopted her, they had three biological children. Four months after Lydia joined the family, the now divorced couple adopted a son. Lydia and her younger brother are two of the few Blacks in Asheville and in her immediate adoptive family – an experience that caused identity problems growing up.
“Growing up, it was just the two of us in an all-white family, and it was definitely a challenge,” Lydia The look we’ll have when we’re all out,” Lydia said, alluding to her gaze. of white parents with three white and two black children. “So it’s definitely a challenge trying to figure out who I am just because I’ve never met anyone like me. I never know where I get my facial expressions from, where my personality comes from… it’s hard not to know.”
Her parents supported her journey to meet her biological family. Lydia expressed her desire to do so very early on. One misconception that Lydia wants to clear up is that she intends to give up her adoptive family—it’s not.
“My adoptive family is my family. They raised me. They taught me everything I know. They supported me through everything from my first car to my first apartment to college. So no, they’re definitely going to remain a heavy part of my life, they’re still there even when I’m in college,” Lydia said.
At this point in the conversation, Lydia’s voice broke, admitting that setting the record immediately made her emotional. She loves her adoptive family – that’s obvious.
Her parents’ last conversation with her biological mother was still at the age of 21. They wanted to give Lydia a chance to see her family without the added pressure. But they met Vivian while she spent the night in Asheville on November 26.
Lydia is not judgmental and is ready to meet her mother
Since learning about each other, Lydia and Demonica have talked almost every day. They talk about her classes, their days, and more casual topics. The heavier conversation about why she was put up for adoption didn’t happen.
Lydia has the pieces: an abusive father with a criminal record and a complicated life situation. But in the end, she is waiting until all the details have come together in their face-to-face meeting.
“Although I don’t know the full story, in my heart I completely believe that my biological mother did what she felt was best for me at this time,” Honestly, I don’t have a clue. any discomfort.”
Lydia doesn’t have to worry about seeing her mother. And fortunately, before social media brought this family back together, Lydia explored all the possible outcomes with her therapist. All she focuses on is the excitement and hope her story has given others.
“Imperfect families and my immediate family may have their own issues that they have to deal with, and I personally am willing to accept that with open arms,” says Lydia. “I’m so happy to even be able to reconnect with them, which in itself is very special.”
