A mom from Georgia has melted hearts on the internet after sharing a special realization with her young daughter.
Michelle Sandland grew up with no contact with her biological parents. She was welcomed into the "most incredible family" after being adopted at birth. Naturally, Sandland told Newsweek that she is curious about her biological parents.
"I do have those questions about where I came from. I wonder where my birth mom is now and what she's doing with her life, what my birth father was like, if I have any biological siblings. I think it's normal to have those questions—and it doesn't take anything away from the love I have for my family," the 32-year-old said.
A short clip posted by Sandland to Instagram shows her holding two-year-old Chelsea, accompanied by the text overlay: "POV you were adopted at birth so your daughter is the first person you've ever met that looks like you." She wrote in her caption how she was "so grateful" for her, whom she calls her "mini-me."
"Growing up, people would comment that my sister was the spitting image of my mom, and I never received those comparisons. I always longed to be connected to someone else in that way. Every time someone tells me my daughter looks like me it makes me so happy. I definitely see myself in her, and that's a totally new feeling for me," Sandland told Newsweek.
The mom of one also opened up about struggling with alcoholism and bipolar disorder, both of which she worked on to overcome for Chelsea's sake. "I got sober and worked on my mental health for her—in many ways, she saved my life," Sandland added.
Sandland's clip, posted to the account @thediscountdarling, has racked up one million hits, as well as 114,000 likes. It also seemed to resonate with many of those from the adopted community, with some being moved to tears.
"Two of my siblings are adopted and now have their own children, I'm sure they feel the same," one user commented. Another shared that their grandfather was adopted and felt the same sentiment as Sandland. "It was surreal when I found his bio family and we saw where [he] got certain facial features from," another wrote.
Someone also commented that Sandland and Chelsea's features were "identical."
Sandland acknowledged the hundreds who could relate to her experience and told Newsweek that Chelsea was her best friend. "She's my only child and my whole world! And she's changed my entire life for the better."
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