The year was 2007. Steve Flaig, a delivery driver at a Lowe’s store in Grand Rapids, Michigan, knew he was adopted, but had trouble finding his birth mother after he turned 18. Eventually, thanks to the open adoption records, he found out that he had been spelling his mother’s name incorrectly. When he fixed the spelling and searched for her, he got a hit… much closer to home than he had anticipated.
Christine Tallady – not Talladay, as Steve had assumed – had placed her son for adoption after he was born in October 1985, with the hope that once he turned 18, he would look for her.
MLive.com reported in 2009:
Before he was born, Tallady chose the couple who would raise him, knowing only their background, including education and Catholic faith, but not their names. She is relieved to know he’s had a normal, happy upbringing.
The other day, she and Steve got together with his parents, Pat and Lois Flaig, and their other son, Scott, 19, who also found his birth mother a couple of years ago.
“They’re very lucky,” Pat said, indicating his sons. “Most people have one family. They have two. Chris unselfishly gave us a family. I wish more people would consider it.”
Christine said, “Me, too. These are the parents I chose for him. I gave birth to him, but they raised him, gave him his morals.”
Flaig and Tallady’s inspiring story continues to make the rounds a decade later, thanks to the power of social media.
