Woman Abandoned as Baby in Train Station 43 Years Ago Learns Truth About Her Past
Reunions can be difficult, sweet and even bittersweet. For one family, a reunion miracle has occurred — one that is almost too incredible to believe.
More than four long decades passed since Mika Cheesman had seen her biological family. In 1975, at the young age of 4, the now 47-year-old was left abandoned and alone at Penn Station in New York.
According to Inside Edition, Cheesman was discovered at a candy store inside the station. Back then she was only known as “Missy,” as authorities did not know her given name.
The 4-year-old would reportedly only say “mommy” at the time. Her parents were never located, so Cheesman was sent to a Manhattan orphanage and eventually adopted in 1977, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Still, she never ceased wondering or searching. Cheesman longed for answers about her past and her heritage.
Thanks to an appearance she made on “Iyanla” in 2001, Cheesman was able to connect with private investigator Lynn-Marie Carty.
Carty became determined to help Cheesman locate her birth parents.
“There was so little information to start with… It broke my heart. I said, ‘I am going to solve this case before I leave this Earth.'” Carty told Inside Edition.
The search was on — 17 long years of searching, to be exact. Others might have given up after hitting dead end after dead end.
But Carty and Cheesman pressed on, holding out hope they’d find Cheesman’s birth family. When a DNA test led them to a cousin, things started looking up.
Carty shared with Mika in January 2018 that both of her birth parents were still alive. She explained to Cheesman that her mother had mental health issues.
“She was 26 years old,” Carty told Tampa Bay Times. “Her name was Barbara… she had to be hospitalized, and everyone in the family says she was never the same person.”
When Cheesman at a last was reunited with her mother and her other family members, she showed so much grace and compassion as she hugged her tearful mother for the first time in so many years.
“I’m not angry,” Mika told Tampa Bay Times. “I never, ever was angry at my other family. I knew something was wrong.”
Samuel Wright, Mika’s uncle, shared his sentiments with Inside Edition. “I feel so much love, I feel so much enthusiasm by meeting my niece for the first time in a long time,” he said.
What a wonderful story filled with so much hope and encouragement. Cheesman’s story is a good reminder that it’s never too late to hope for a miracle.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
