Bekalu: Two Moms with Love

Bekalu was adopted from Ethiopia by an American family at age 4. When he was 10, he sent a letter to Santa asking for 3 things for Christmas: an iPhone, a massage chair, and to meet his birth parents. His adoptive parents felt that that he wasn't old enough for an iPhone and that a massage chair was too expensive and impractical. So they set out to grant his third wish. After a friend sent Bekalu's letter to a talk show in Ethiopia, the director invited Bekalu and his adoptive mother, Laura, to come to Ethiopia and appear on the show. There, they shared photos of Bekalu as a toddler and details of the police report from when he was found as an infant. Friends of Bekalu's birth mother, Zenash, recognized the story and photos. A year later, Bekalu met Zenash on the show. They continue to talk regularly and Bekalu and his adoptive family plan to meet more relatives in Ethiopia next summer.