When Katy Olson and Lizzie Delgado met on their first day of taking a college writing class, they suspected there was an unusual connection between each other. Only later did they find out just how much they had in common.
When Lizzie walked into the class, just moments after signing up for the course, Katy noticed something odd about her. And when Lizzie began to introduce herself to the class, Katy knew that she had to speak to the other girl immediately and find out the true details of her past.
Separated at Birth
Katy Olson was initially born in Tampa, Florida, but was adopted soon after her birth. She then grew up with her adoptive parents in Iowa, facing some difficult challenges, both physically and mentally.
She Learned to Laugh About Her Troubles
Olson has a mild form of cerebral palsy, which has given her health problems over the years and even required her to undergo some operations. Nevertheless, she's always been able to see the funny side of her situation.
She Had a Natural Curiosity
As Olson grew up, she was happy with her family, but she was always curious about her birth mother, and whether or not she had any biological siblings. This curiosity lead her on a hunt that would encompass many decades of her life.
She Became a Natural Storyteller
As she grew older, Olson's fondness for jokes led her to perform on stage as a stand-up comedian. This in turn eventually led her to want to study as a writer, where she could put her storytelling to good use. And soon enough, the perfect story would land in her lap, but it would be one that involved her own life.
She Was Still Seeking Answers About Her Past
By this point, Olson had done her research into her heritage online. She wasn't able to track down much information on her mother, but she suspected that she might have a sister somewhere.
A Possible Connection Became Known
Olson had even found a woman on social media who she thought could possibly be related to her. This woman had grown up in New Jersey and appeared to have a young daughter, but beyond that, there wasn't much to go on.
No Response Was Given
Olson attempted to reach out to the woman, but over the course of a few months she didn't get a response. Assuming that her research had hit a dead end, she decided to put it to one side and focus on her education.
Going Back to School At 30
Olson enrolled at Columbia University, and signed up for a class on creative writing. By this point she was already in her thirties, so most of the students she would be studying with would be a lot younger than her, or so she expected.
She Was About to Meet Someone Familiar
Lizzie Delgado was also adopted when she was a child, and in the next few decades, she finished school and moved to New York City to begin a job as a personal assistant. She also enrolled at Columbia that semester, and she was also in her 30's.
Lizzie Was Also a Creative Soul
The two women had one obvious thing in common: they both had a passion for writing. That's how their paths crossed on the first day of a creative writing course at Columbia. And Delgado nearly missed the sign up date for the course, which she would soon look back on as a sign of a higher power.
She Was in For a Shock
When Delgado walked into her creative writing class, she was thinking about the future, not about the past. So, she didn't expect to meet someone who would provide her with some insights about her own upbringing.
A Big Surprise Came On the First Day
In her very first creative writing class, Olson saw a woman that was around her own age. As part of an ice-breaking activity, the woman talked a little about her background, and Olson literally began to panic, to the shock of her classmates.
She Had a Familiar Story
Lizzie Delgado walked into the class that day and began her introduction exercise. She explained that she had grown up in New Jersey, but that she had originally been born in Florida. This was more than enough to pique Olson's curiosity.
The Adoption Connection Was Clear
It was when Delgado mentioned that she was adopted that Olson began to physically react. According to Delgado, she was a little concerned at the time, because it looked as if Olson was having a panic attack right in front of her.
The Full Story Was Eerily Similar
Delgado shared more about her past, about various jobs she'd done in recent years, and what had led her to enroll at Columbia and study creative writing. All the while, Olson was trying hard to keep her composure.
She Had a Young Daughter To Take Care Of
It turned out that Delgado really was the woman from social media that Olson had been trying to contact. She told the group about her young daughter, who featured in her online profile picture, and this was when Olson really pieced the story together.
She Knew She Had to Say Something
Olsen worried that Delgado might leave the class before they had the chance to speak and she didn't know if she could handle not getting closure on her question before another week of classes went by. She knew that she had to approach Delgado immediately after class, so she made a beeline for the door.
She Got in Her Path
Olson put herself in Delgado's path to start a conversation with her fellow student. She later told The New York Times, “I worried that she’d think I was stalking her,” she said. “But I didn’t want to let her get away. I couldn’t go home and sit for a week without getting an answer to this question.”
The Interrogation Began
After the class, Olson hesitantly approached Delgado and attempted to strike up a casual conversation. She ended up putting her new friend on the spot, grilling her about her past in what felt a lot like an interrogation, which made Delgado feel strange until she realized what was at stake.
Blurting it Out
Olson had wanted to play things cool, but that soon fell apart. She ended up simply blurting out, "I think we’re sisters!" And that was enough for Delgado to understand why the other girl had been so flustered to speak up.
Is This Just Fantasy?
Delgado was understandably shocked— as was everyone else in the room. "Is this real life?" she asked as she weighed up what Olson had said. Delgado had also spent many days of her life searching for more information about her birth family, although she had never found out that she may have a sister.
There Was So Much to Say
The two women compared notes, and very quickly it became apparent: they really did share a birth mother. With so much to talk about, they spent the evening together as they discussed everything about their lives.
They Lived So Close to Each Other
The two women quickly realized that they had a lot in common despite having never met in their lives. Other than a shared love of writing, both women lived in New York City for years before returning to school in their 30's.
They Found Dozens of Similarities
They also wanted to know if they had simple things in common, like food and music preferences and funny little quirks. And the more they both learned about the other, the more ways they found to bond, as if they had known each other for years.
They Had Almost Met So Many Times
Deldago had a few important things to admit to Olson. Firstly, she said that her adoptive mother had once been offered the chance to adopt Olson, but had been warned that there were complications in the form of Olson's cerebral palsy. When she wasn't contacted again, Deldago's mother had believed that Olson had died.
They Had a Wider Family Than They Knew
What's more, Deldago had actually already met with their birth mother. Their mother had been a teenager when she had given birth to her daughters, but later in life, she had also had two sons, who were the women's half-brothers.
Together at Last
The pair were so excited to finally meet and to be able to study alongside each other. This all culminated in the perfect possible reunion as their time together at college came to a close, and they also got another family member in on the reunion.
There Were More Questions Left to Answer
Although Katy had met her birth mother in the past, there was still a lot that neither daughter knew about the mother who had given up her daughters for adoption in her teenage years. And soon, they both discovered more about the woman who gave them life.
Their Mother Passed Down Her Passion for Writing
Their paths were serendipitous because both girls found out that their mother had also wanted to be a writer. But a life riddled with addiction and substance abuse soon landed her in poverty.
Their Mother Made a Difficult Decision
The girls' mother, Louise Parker, may not have been able to create the life she wanted for herself, but by giving her daughters up for adoption she was able to make sure that they had a chance at a better life than the one she lived.
They Had a Renewed Sense of Hope
The girls met each other in a creative writing course, but they never expected to walk into the greatest story of all on their first day of classes. And their similar curiosities also helped them reunite with the rest of their family, and give each of them a renewed sense of hope about the future.
The Story Came Full Circle
The girls were both grateful to be able to share some of life's most poignant moments with the sister they never had. Soon, the two would have an emotional moment with their mother, who later said that she "felt like the world was coming full circle."
Graduation Time Came Quickly
Eventually, it was time for Delgado's graduation. Olson had spent a lot of time getting to know her sister and her niece, but now, she could meet someone else that she'd always dreamed of seeing again...
A Long-Awaited Reunion
The pair's mother flew in from Florida to be there to see Delgado's graduation. For the first time, Olson was able to talk with her birth mother and reconnect after spending decades apart.
A Mother's Tale
When Leslie Parker had been forced to give up her daughters for adoption, she had only been a teenager. She hadn't imagined she'd ever get to see them again, but now, to her surprise, they had found each other in her absence.
The Graduate
Parker was able to watch as her daughter graduated from an Ivy League school. What's more, she was able to sit beside her other daughter, seeing her for the first time in over three decades. This made her happy, knowing that they had a life that wasn't possible for her in the past.
Family Forever
The pair of sisters still spend a lot of time together, going on family vacations and keeping in constant contact. While Parker insists that she's not religious, stories like this are enough for her to believe there must be some higher power watching over us.