Adopted woman meets biological family at Lombard reunion

LOMBARD, Ill. (WLS) -- Family reunions can be fun, but one on Saturday was extra special to a North Carolina woman who was adopted as an infant in Illinois.

Eighteen-year-old Greanna Marshall met her relatives for the first time at the big reunion picnic that they hold in suburban Lombard every two years.

Marshall found the family of her biological father with help from the Department of Family and Child Services, which once cared for her.

She encourages other adoptees to reconnect with family if they can.

"It's not something to be afraid of it's just another chapter in your life you have to get past and ago open," Marshall said. "It feels good because it's a lot of family and family means love and compassion."

Marshall's biological father did not make it to the reunion, but she met dozens of other family members and plans to keep in touch.