Lisa Wright was adopted as an infant and had no idea who her biological mother was growing up in California. At 54, she took a DNA test, and the results changed her life. Her birth mother turned out to be an actress named Lynne Moody who she watched growing up on TV.
When Lisa Wright set out to find her birth mother, she never guessed the woman might have been right in front of her all along.
For more than 50 years, Wright — whose adoption was closed — didn’t look for her biological relatives … that is, until she had a child of her own, she said during an interview with the Today show.
“My (adoptive) mom told me, ‘Your mommy loved you, but she was really young, and she knew she couldn’t take care of you. I wanted the baby so bad, and that’s why your mom let me take care of you. You weren’t abandoned. This was just the best thing for you,’ ” Wright told Today.
Wright’s son suggested a DNA test to find out more about her genetics. When she received the results, they came with a family match, Today reports.
“I get an alert, and it says, ‘This person is your uncle,’ ” Wright said. “So I just reached out and said, ‘If you’re open to it, I would love to chat with you to see what all of this means.’ “
A few days later, Wright and her biological uncle were able to connect for a phone call.
“I said, ‘Well, I was born on Dec. 10, 1964. I was told that my biological mom was very young when she had me. She moved to L.A. because she wanted to be in Hollywood.’ And then he just stopped me right there,” she recalled. “And so he goes, ‘Lisa, you’re my niece. We’ve been looking for you. We’ve all been looking for you.’ “
It didn’t take long after that phone call for Wright to hear from her biological mom.
“A voice on the other end says, ‘Is this, my daughter?’ And then I just went, ‘Oh, my God, is this my mother?’ ” Wright said. “And then she goes, ‘Yes, sweetie, this is your mom.’ It was just the most indescribable feeling.”
As it turns out, Wright’s biological mother is actress Lynne Moody — who just so happened to star in one of Wright’s favorite TV shows when she was growing up.
“I grew up watching my mother on TV and didn’t even know it,” Wright said. “That’s My Mama — that was our must-see TV. We all sat down and watched That’s My Mama every week, and who knew? No idea. … And that’s my mama!”
Since Wright’s adoption was closed, Moody didn’t know what had happened to her daughter. She told Today that she’d never had other children, and she’d dreamed of a day where she could reconnect with Wright.
“When she was born, they covered my face, my eyes, so that I couldn’t see her,” Moody said. “But I could hear her cry. All I could say was ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, baby, I’m sorry.’ As a mother, you never, ever, ever forget. During those 50 years, all I did was try to learn how to live with it. I didn’t know if she was hungry if she was alive, if she was happy, if she was adopted.”
She continued, “When I found out that she was my daughter, at that moment, it was like I was giving birth. Because I lost my legs, I was on the floor in a fetal position, screaming and crying. I didn’t know how deep that hole was.”
