They say that the finest things in life are worth the wait, even if it takes a lifetime.

Lena Pierce had been away from her daughter for more than 80 years, but on a cold snowy day in January 2016, she was finally reunited with the girl she was compelled to give up when she was just a teenager in 1933.

Lena, who was born in 1919, had a terrible existence that started when her dad died when she was a baby. Before landing in central New York, she and her mother travelled much.

Lena became pregnant when she was 13 years old. On February 11, 1933, she gave birth to a daughter, Eva Mae, in Utica, New York. However, her kid was taken away from her after six months owing to her status as a state ward.

Eva Mae was adopted by a Long Island family and raised as Betty Morrell. She was an only kid who wished she had siblings. She had no idea that her mom had numerous kids who would all be delighted to meet her one day.

Betty never suspected her family until a neighbouring youngster informed her that she was adopted. She expressed that she didn’t even know what adoption entailed.

She confronted her mom, who verified the adoption and informed her that her real mom had died. Betty realises why she said that since she didn’t want her to search.

Betty ignored it for years until her mother passed away and little evidence began to emerge. Betty used to be Eva, and she was born in Utica, according to her aunt. That’s what prompted Betty to go on a 50-year search for her biological mother.

She knew she was adored and had an amazing family. But she felt a piece was missing. It simply kept driving her crazy.

She started by phoning every hospital in Utica. She received a response from one who had two babies on February 11, 1933, one of which was a daughter called Eva.

Betty got a letter from the adoption agency in 1983, but because her adoption was closed, she was unable to obtain any further details. Betty continued to live her life on Long Island before leaving for Florida, despite the disappointment.

Betty would not resume her quest for her birth mom until one of her granddaughters, Kimberly Miccio, was 12 years old.

Kimberly had been looking for her grandmother’s long-lost family for two decades when she got a break in September 2015. She discovered a distant cousin on Ancestry.com, who connected her with Millie Hawk, one of Lena’s daughters.

Not only did they discover Betty had at least one additional sister, but they also discovered Betty’s original mom was still living! She discovered she had four sisters and two brothers later in life.

Betty was overjoyed to locate her mom after all these years, and Lena was overjoyed to discover her child had been found.

Millie went to see her mom, who was going to play bingo at the fire station adjacent to her apartment in Hallstead, Pennsylvania, after chatting with Betty, and told her the good news.

She broke down and began weeping. She was weeping so hard she couldn’t even go to bingo, Millie explained.

When the two were able to converse over the phone, they agreed to meet in person. The heartfelt reconnection occurred at the Greater Binghamton Airport one day in January 2016, and it was extraordinary not just because of how much time had gone, but also because of each woman’s age, an 82-year-old daughter and a 96-year-old mom.

It was incredible. They were both weeping, Kimberly added.

After their reconnection, the two stayed in touch, and Betty formed a close bond with her sister Millie. Betty explained, it’s an encounter that not many people her age or her mother’s age receive. It’s the nicest thing that could have happened to her.

They were reunited barely in time for Lena died a few months later in October 2016.