Thank You For Letting Me Live: A Mother’s Story of Adoption, Separation, and Reunion

At eighteen years old, Anne E. Mortensen faced a decision that would remain with her for the rest of her life.

Young, unmarried, frightened, and uncertain about the future, Anne discovered she was pregnant at a time when an unwed pregnancy carried enormous social consequences. With few options and an uncertain path ahead, she ultimately made the heartbreaking decision to place her newborn son for adoption—believing that giving him the opportunity for a life she could not then provide was the greatest expression of love she could offer.

But Anne’s story did not end there.

Thank You for Letting Me Live is the deeply personal story of a young woman whose life would take her through adversity, difficult relationships, disappointment, divorce, faith, renewal, love, family, and ultimately redemption. Along the way, Anne discovered that the circumstances confronting us today do not have to determine what our lives can become tomorrow.

Years passed. Anne rebuilt her life, found enduring love, raised a family, and became a strong and compassionate woman shaped by both hardship and hope. Yet she never forgot the child she had placed for adoption or stopped wondering what had become of him.

Then, decades later, the past and present came together in a reunion neither mother nor son could have fully imagined.

His first words to her were:

“Thank you for letting me live.”

Those five words gave meaning to a decision made by a frightened eighteen-year-old girl so many years before.

More than a memoir, Thank You for Letting Me Live is a story of love, sacrifice, resilience, faith, forgiveness, second chances, and the remarkable possibilities that can emerge from life’s most difficult circumstances.

It is a reminder that we rarely know how far the consequences of one courageous decision may reach—or how beautifully a life story can unfold when we refuse to give up hope.