Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

Lisa was born in 1958 and grew up in Franklin, Indiana. She was the youngest of two, both of whom were adopted.  As far back as she can remember, she always knew she was “chosen.”With no real information to go on, after submitting her DNA and no close family hits, her husband put together a family tree in which they were able to identify her biological father. They think they have her biological mother identified, but have yet to make contact.Lisa now lives in the St. Louis, Missouri area and has two fabulous children and a grandson. She also has 'bonus' children and grandchildren that she loves to see.  She currently works as a software consultant but is on the verge of retiring. She also has two Bernedoodles that keep her very active.Finding this podcast has helped her feel that, finally, she is not alone.You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker Magic Mind Adoptee 20 LinkUSE THE CODE AND LINK TO RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONmagicmind.com/adoptee20JOIN US on March 8th in Atascadero, California - Live Podcast, Un-M-Othered, Jeff Forney & The Innocent People Project + More!Leave your email for more info!Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting is this Saturday, January 4th @ 1 pm ET.RESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocateNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.Unraveling Adoption with Beth SyversonAdoptees Connect with Pamela KaranovaSupport the showTo support the show - Patreon.

In 1983, Matt’s mother delivered him in a metro Detroit hospital. Within a week hewas relinquished to Catholic Social Services, and moved into foster care to spendthe first three months of his life.A married couple, unable to have a natural child themselves, adopted and raisedhim lovingly as their first child. While growing up, Matt always knew he wasadopted, but besides this knowledge, his family rarely discussed the topic ofadoption.Matt has been in reunion since 2009 with members of his biological family on hismaternal and paternal side, including his first mother. Only since 2022, though,has ‘The Fog’ over his eyes begun to lift - that of the dominant narrativesurrounding the American adoption system.Today, Matt lives in northwest lower Michigan with his girlfriend, their two cats,and his two biological sons. He is writing a memoir about his life as an adoptee.You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker Here is a link to order her book: bookshop link.JOIN US on March 8th in California!- Live Podcast, Un-M-Othered with Liz DeBetta + Jeff Forney & More! Leave your email for more info!Magic Mind Adoptee 20 LinkUSE THE CODE AND LINK TO RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONmagicmind.com/adoptee20RESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocateNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.Unraveling Adoption with Beth SyversonAdoptees Connect with Pamela KaranovaThank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom with the ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting is December January 4th Support the showTo support the show - Patreon.

Jennifer is an adoptee born in Orange County, California, in 1963. The first six weeks of her life remain a mystery. Although she was adopted by a loving family, her journey has not been easy. As part of the Baby Scoop Era, she was relinquished at birth and spent her early weeks in foster care.Her adoptive family, led by the daughter of a well-known artist and former model, provided a stable home, but Jennifer always felt like she wasn’t enough. She grew up as the middle child with two brothers: her older brother, who was also adopted, and her younger brother, the biological son of her adoptive parents, who had been surprised by his arrival, as they had previously been told they couldn’t have children.Jennifer always knew she was adopted, though she can’t remember being explicitly told. As she grew older, she became curious about her origins and began wondering who she might resemble. This curiosity led her down a destructive path, turning to drugs and alcohol as a way to cope. Years of rebellion, running away, and conflicts with her parents culminated in her legal emancipation at age 15.Things continued to spiral out of control until she ended up in a treatment center in Portland, Oregon. Once she had regained clarity, Jennifer realized she needed to understand her medical history, and so began a search for her biological family. Remarkably, it only took three hours for a search specialist to find them.However, not all reunions are as heartwarming as one might hope. Jennifer’s birth mother, sadly, had no interest in reconnecting and refused to meet her. Despite this, Jennifer did find a half-brother with whom she still maintains a relationship. Tragically, her birth mother passed away in 2023, never having met the daughter she had given life to in 1963. In Jennifer’s words, “It’s her loss.” Coincidentally, just weeks after her birth mother’s death, Jennifer’s adoptive mother passed away as well.Today, Jennifer has come to terms with the reality that she will never know the woman who gave birth to her. Meeting other biological family members has become a meaningful part of her journey. She is currently working on her memoir, Sometimes You Just Need a Lollipop: A Very Adult Story of My Spiritual Awakening, a candid exploration of her life’s struggles, her search for self, and her spiritual growth.You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker Magic Mind Adoptee 20 LinkUSE THE CODE AND LINK TO RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONmagicmind.com/adoptee20JOIN US in March 8th in Atascadero, California - Live Podcast, Un-M-Othered + More! Leave your email for more info!Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting is on January 4th @ 1 pm ET.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon.

Adam was adopted from Huentitán el Alto, in Jalisco, Mexico. Ron and Wendy had already adopted a son so they planned on adopting a girl as their second child to be named Amy but she suddenly passed away and out of distraught they told the lawyer to give them the next baby available, me. They changed names from Amy to Adam.Adam always felt different, like from another world. He exhibited signs of abandonment issues early on never allowing his mother to leave him without crying. In hindsight, he can say it was because he didn’t think she would come back. Not in the sense that other kids cry for their mom to pick them up, he thought she might never come back. This fear of being left developed well into his teens and adulthood in the form of abusive relationships which he would never leave and manifested into several life-threatening situations. To couple this, Adam experienced an Identity crisis and at the age of 17, he felt as if his name no longer fit him. He wasn’t Juan Carlos anymore (his birth name) but he no longer felt comfortable claiming the full name his adoptive parents gave him. He legally changed it to keep Adam and to have Esparza Plascencia as his surname, given to him at birth. Maybe he could feel as if he was a part of both. He knew his name because he kept his adoption certificate, more or less a one-page contract that his birth mother signed in pen, Maria De Jesus Esparza Plascencia. At times when he was left alone with his thoughts he would trace the engraved ink on the parchment to bring him closer to her. To try and feel her sentiment. Adam works as Director for a CBO (Community Based Organization) specializing in youth outreach in elementary schools through the Queens, NY borough and is licensed by the OCFS (The Office of Children and Family Services). As his journey to reunion continues he is also happy to announce a new position as one of several Ambassadors representing The Adoptee Mentoring Society, a community giving light to the adoptee narrative and providing support for adoptees, by adoptees. Through his catharsis and above all else he has come to the realization that the road back to oneself is not external after all but inside each and everyone of us just the same. For Adam, it was time to let go of “being let go of”. By sharing his own healing process he hopes to enable other adoptees along the winding road we all have in common. You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker Here is a link to order her book: bookshop link.Magic Mind Adoptee 20 LinkUSE THE CODE AND LINK TO RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONmagicmind.com/adoptee20See us on March 8th in Atascadero, California Leave your email for more info!Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting is on January 4th @ 1 pm ET.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon.