Woman, 61, gets to meet her biological mother

DADE CITY, Fla. (NBC) -- A Dade City woman, adopted at birth, finally met her biological mother 61 years later. The tearful reunion happened Sunday at Tampa International Airport.

Sue See, 61, said she was extremely nervous and excited as she waited for her mother's plane to arrive.

"The minute I walked into the airport, it finally hit me that this it," said See.

See carried a pink "It's a girl" balloon and a sign explaining her reunion as she waited near Gate C. Several travelers stopped to share their own stories of adoption with her.

"I found out when I was a 50-year-old that I was adopted," one man told See.

See was born in Rhode Island. That state had its adoption records sealed until last year. A change in law allowed the Rhode Island Office of Vital Records to being releasing birth certificates in July. See requested her copy and finally learned her mother was named Alice Steele when it arrived in the mail.

See's daughter in Arizona typed Steele's name into Ancestry.com and found a match. See called Steele last summer and was happy to hear her mother say she wanted to meet her. They spoke on the phone for months before arranging a meeting in Tampa.

Tears flowed as the two embraced for the first time. It was 82-year-old Steele's first time on a plane. She wasn't traveling alone though. Steele brought her daughter, June, 51.

"To have my mom and my sister here with me, is just more than I could ever imagine," said See.

The Steele's are staying at See's Dade City home for one week. They say this reunion is just the first of many to come.