A bakery owner in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood reconnected with her biological son in a reunion that felt both incredibly sweet and seemingly improbable.
While Chicago is a city of many bakeries, Give Me Some Sugah Bakery in South Shore had Vamarr Hunter hooked right away.
“The pancakes, the lemon bars, the chocolate chip cookies…oh and the lemon pound cake, so good,” Hunter said.
Hunter also enjoyed talking to the owner, Lenore Lindsey.
“She interacts with you on a personal level,” he said. "I just felt comfortable there."
Family plays an important role in Hunter's life, who got confirmed he was adopted at the age of 35, something he always suspected.
Hunter set out to find his biological mother, receiving a genetic profile and assistance from a genealogist. Shortly thereafter, Hunter's birth mom was located.
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When she was ready, she called her son and saw it was a familiar number.
“I had the bakery's number in my phone, yes the number was locked in,” Hunter said. “When I saw the number, I'm like, 'Give Me Some Sugah?' And all I'm thinking in my head is, 'Why? Why are they calling?'"
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Seconds later, Lenore and Hunter would discover that they were in fact mother and son.
Lenore put Hunter up for adoption when she was 17 years old in 1954.
"Yeah, you know, that was still something that you were ashamed of. I left the adoption open, and I said, you know, if he really wants to find me, then he'll be able to find me. But otherwise, his life must be great. I wouldn't interfere in that life," Lenore said.
Their relationship now feels like they've never been apart from each other.
With Lenore partially retired, Hunter now runs much of the business while receiving clarity that was sought throughout his life.
“Man, I love, love my mom. I love having a moment. It was a lot of rough Mothers' Days',” Hunter said.
“I love my son, and having him now all these later years later. That's just God and God is love. I am so incredibly full and so incredibly grateful to the Father for this gift. This is a gift, and there is no way this happened without God,” Lenore said.
