Three Years After Leaving Taiwan, Adopted Girl Gets Surprise Reunion
The friends had not seen each other for three years, but Sarah Plazak told Newsweek they were "simply overjoyed" by the reunion.
Three years after leaving Taiwan, adopted 8-year-old Abby and her 9-year-old brother Sam reunited with their childhood friend Emma, who they had lost touch with during their time in foster care. Sarah Plazak, Abby's adoptive mother, adopted the siblings in December 2023 after they had lived in separate foster homes in Taiwan. Prior to their adoption, Abby had lived with a foster family in Taitung, Taiwan who treated her like their own, and she spoke Mandarin and Amis, but had limited English skills.
Abby and Sam shared a special bond with Emma, a Taiwanese-American girl they met at school, and had spent many playdates together. When Abby left for her new life in South Carolina, she had a farewell party and received a photo album from Emma's family. With the help of social media, Plazak was able to find Emma's parents, Matt and Sharone Grivetti.
The three families began arranging video calls for the girls to stay in touch. In August 2023, the Grivettts were able to visit South Carolina for three days, allowing Abby, Sam, and Emma to finally meet in person. The road trip took four hours, and Sarah kept the plans a secret to avoid getting her children's hopes up. Abby was thrilled to see her friend after such a long time, and the three days spent together allowed the girls to reconnect and create new memories.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
