Betty Morrell of Spring Hill finally met her birth mother, 82 years after she was put up for adoption.

Mother and daughter were reunited in Binghamton, N.Y. last month.

Morrell said she started looking for her birthparents when she was in her 30's after her adoptive parents died.

She said she had been told that her mother died during childbirth but later found out she was still alive.

"Somewhere there's always a link that will pop up when you least expect it," said Morrell.

Morrell said she located her birth certificate but it lead to a lot of brick walls and dead ends.

Eventually her granddaughter, Kimberly Miccio, started helping with the search utilizing the internet.

Miccio found a distant relative of Morrell's through Ancestry.com that eventually led them to Morrell's mother, Lena Pierce, 96. Miccio arranged a phone call.

"And my mom got on the phone and she just couldn't believe it was really me and she said, "Oh, we have so much catching up to do", said Morrell.

Morrell and Miccio flew to Binghamton so they could meet in person.

"It was really sweet, you know, it made my life complete. I finally did it, it was closure. I didn't feel like I was hanging in the breeze anymore," said Morrell.

Morrell learned she has four sisters and two brothers. She said they're talking on the phone and keeping in touch through Facebook.

"Now I look forward to every single day of seeing what someone's doing in the family or what they have to say and we chat back and forth and it's nice. I'm so happy. I really feel good," said Morrell.

She said she hopes her story encourages others who may be looking for long lost relatives.

"I say absolutely don't give up. It can take a lot of work, it took me 50 years but it was worth it."