For 17 Years, her adoptive mother from West Virginia sent photos and updates to her birth mother; she had no idea. She grew up without knowing about it

For most of her childhood, Alicia Mae Holloway knew she was adopted. What she did not know was that a quiet connection between her two mothers had continued almost from the beginning. Every six months for 17 years, her adoptive mother sent photographs and handwritten updates to Holloway’s biological mother, allowing her to watch her daughter grow from afar. Holloway only discovered the secret shortly before turning 18.

A Promise Made After Her Adoption

Holloway, a dancer and television personality who later appeared on The Bachelor, was raised by her adoptive parents in West Virginia. According to her account shared on TikTok and reported by Upworthy, her adoptive mother, Evelyn, saw how difficult it was for Holloway’s biological mother to give up her baby. Evelyn decided to make her a promise: twice a year, she would send a photograph of Alicia along with a written update about how she was doing. It meant Holloway’s biological mother could privately follow important moments in her daughter’s childhood even though the adoption itself was closed.

The Letters Had to Remain a Secret

There was another complication. Holloway has explained that she was conceived during an affair between her biological mother, who was white, and a Black man. Her birth mother was married at the time and already had three children. Holloway said her biological mother feared how members of her family would react to the birth of a biracial child and told them that the baby had been stillborn.


That meant Evelyn could not simply send photographs and letters directly to her home. Instead, according to Holloway’s account, the updates were mailed to a friend’s address. The arrangement continued quietly for 17 years. Holloway remained unaware, even as her biological mother learned about her dancing, beauty pageants and other milestones.

At 18, Alicia Finally Learnt the Truth

Shortly before her 18th birthday, Holloway learnt about the connection her adoptive mother had maintained all those years. She then had the opportunity to meet her biological mother. Holloway recalled that the reunion was particularly emotional for the two mothers. The women shared a long embrace and cried together an extraordinary moment after nearly two decades in which photographs and letters had served as the link between them. For Holloway, however, the meeting was not about anger.


She has said she views her biological mother’s decision to place her for adoption as an act of love that ultimately gave her an “amazing life”. After asking important questions, including about her family medical history, Holloway’s message to her birth mother was simple: thank you.

A Secret That Connected Two Mothers

Years later, Holloway’s adoption story has found a much larger audience online. She has also since connected with her biological father and biological siblings, according to People. But perhaps the most striking part of her story remains something she never witnessed as a child: every six months, a photograph and a few written words quietly travelled from one mother to another. For 17 years, one woman kept her promise, another was able to watch her daughter grow and the child at the centre of it all had no idea until she was nearly an adult.