TODAY
Barb Stewart and her father reunite on TODAY after 50 years apart.
At just 3 months old, Barb Stewart lost her biological mom to rheumatic fever. Before she died, Stewart's mother and father, Fred Herman, vowed they'd give their daughter a normal life with two loving parents —which meant giving her up for adoption to an aunt and uncle who raised her as their own.
"I had a really good childhood," Stewart, 59, told TODAY.
Barb Stewart
Barb Stewart and her 22-year-old daughter Natalie.
Barb Stewart
Barb Stewart's natural parents Fred and Helen Herman.
The Illinois mother of four found out she was adopted at age 6, and has wanted to track down her biological family ever since. While she did see her father once at the age of 10 at a family gathering, she wasn't able to stay in touch with him, or meet the rest of her relatives.
"It was something that was on the back-burner emotionally," Stewart said. "I did always wonder who they were and if they knew about me."
She looked for her family off and on over the new years but never got anywhere. She had old photos of her late mother, and knew that her father had remarried and had two other children.
One night, Stewart turned to Facebook and stumbled upon Josephine Herman, her father's second wife. Stewart sent her a short message and by clicking through her page, she discovered her half-brother and half-sister.
"I just cried," she said after getting a message back. "This is something I've wanted for so long."
Kyle Michael Miller
Barb Stewart reunited with her father Fred Herman on TODAY.
While visiting TODAY Thursday, Stewart finally reunited with her 84-year-old father, with a hug that left them both in tears.
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