Mom started to feel tired, and she fell asleep. Then later that night, she passed away peacefully.”

“I remember noticing at a young age that my mom had two extra stones in her mother’s ring. They were two rubies. And she explained to me that they signified my twin brothers. She told me that she’d given birth to them when she was 22, but was unable to care for them. So she gave them up to another family. I wanted to know more-- but it was a closed adoption. We’d receive photos every few years, and I could see the resemblance, which piqued my curiosity even more. But we had no other information. 

We didn’t even know their last name. And my mom was determined not to overstep her boundaries. She’d always say: ‘I’d love to meet them. And I know you would too. But that will have to be their decision.’ So I didn’t push the issue. But in 2017 my mom got very sick with cancer. And during this time a letter arrived from my brothers’ mom. She told us about their lives. Nothing too deep: what schools they went to, vacations they’d been on, stuff like that. And at the end of her letter, she wrote: ‘I wanted to thank you for the blessing you’ve given me. I couldn’t have kids. And you gave me two.’ My mom was very moved, but she still discouraged me from reaching out. ‘It’s not our place,’ she said.

 But then a few months later her condition worsened, and she was admitted to hospice. That’s when I said: ‘Fuck it.’ I sent my brothers a message on Facebook. I explained the situation, and told them that if they wanted to meet their biological mother, they had to do it now. Their response was immediate. A few days later they were on a plane. We met in the hospice parking lot, and it was super awkward for two minutes. But then it wasn’t. They were so nice. Their mother was with them and she was so sweet too. All of us went inside. My mom was very lucid that morning. She noticed them immediately. She said: ‘Oh my God, my boys.’ Each of them took one of her hands. She told them: ‘I always thought about you. And I always loved you. 

I just wanted the best for you.’ And they told her: ‘We know that. And we’ve always known that.’ It was a beautiful moment. A couple hours later Mom started to feel tired, and she fell asleep. Then later that night, she passed away peacefully.”