Heartbroken woman attacked online after desperate attempts to find daughter via social media

Rowena Fuller became pregnant as a young teen and at 17-years-old had her daughter taken from her.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In an act of desperation, the now 59-year-old took to Facebook to find her little girl she named Nicola.

"#findnicolabrett," she wrote. "I apologise in advance if the following should shock any of my friends, but this is a last ditch attempt.

"For 10 days I learned how to bath [sic] you, keep you warm and cuddle you. You were with me for my 17th birthday on the 27th December that year.

"On the morning of the 30th December it was snowing. I dressed you in your snow white layette and took the lift down to the car park.

"A woman was waiting there and I couldn't let you go. There was an undignified struggle and my mother wrested you from my arms and handed you over.

"The woman turned and walked away - I felt as if my heart had been ripped from my body. You were adopted through the Church of England Children's Society. This photo was sent to me by your parents on your 1st birthday. It is the only photo I have and has faded over 43 years.

"I have tried to find you but without success so now I am begging all my friends, their friends and their friend' friends to share this post.

"I have lived 43 years with a tear in the cloth of my life, notwithstanding a wonderful daughter, a fine son and a whole possee [sic] of adopted/kids by marriage - but this pain will always linger with me.

"I will be sixty this birthday and would love to hear from Nicola (or whatever her name is now) in the hope that together we can darn the hole. I think you were brought up in South Wales, but by now you could be anywhere.

"Please, please if you read this, give me a chance - I did and do love you. Your half brother and sister, my husband and the majority of my friends know all about you and my attempts to find you - you would be welcomed by all.

"Please, please share this post and maybe, just maybe this great machine that is social networking might make my sixtieth and Nicola's 43rd two very happy birthdays, thank you, Rowena."

Over 136,000 people left comments to say they shared her message in different countries, to encourage Fuller and to offer prayers.

Unfortunately, several people also shared ugly, hateful, unwarranted comments as well.

One woman wrote, in part, "I'm sorry and I feel for you but I know if my birth parents had done this I'd be as pissed as hell."

One person wrote: "So selfish. There are proper channels for this, where everyone is protected. I feel for Nicola."

A man harshly commented: "Keely Forbes 1973 wasn't back in the dark ages you know and at 17 in 1973 you had a choice, drop your draws and get pregnant, keep your draws on don't get pregnant easy."

Thankfully, there are far more positive comments than there are negatives and Fuller continues the search, even appearing in UK show "This Morning."

Speaking to co-hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield, Fuller explained she became pregnant at 16-years-old but the father had already abandoned her.

She begged her parents to let her keep the child but explained: "My mother was worried about losing her place at the golf club...my dad told me to grow up, even when I begged him to let me keep Nicola.

"It was so callous, so unfeeling. My mother couldn't even come to grips with the idea that I could love this child - as far as she was concerned it was a little bastard and that was it."

The next 40 years passed with Fuller's mother refusing to acknowledge her daughter ever gave birth to Nicola, going as far as refusing to apologize even on her death bed.

On "This Morning," Fuller explained how she had attempted to find Nicola several times in the past but always stopped at the last moment.

"I've always been frightened that she didn't know, or she was going to reject me," she admitted.

"Mum died two years ago, and I was always worried she was going to hurt [Nicola] if we got in contact."

Now that her mother has passed, Fuller hopes Nicola will see the Facebook post and will reach out.

"I think by now she's probably aware [she was adopted]," Fuller said. "I hope I haven't hurt her, I hope I haven't placed a burden on her shoulders. I just want closure."

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