In this week’s Unraveling Adoption podcast, Beth talks with Fred Nicora, a Late Discovery Adoptee, or LDA. Fred’s memoir is called Forbidden Roots: A Memoir of Late-Discovery Adoption. Because of his life experience, he now speaks out about truth and transparency in adoption. He has 13 years in recovery from substance use disorder and he now runs a small hobby farm in Southeastern Wisconsin.

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📆 Community Calendar: UnravelingAdoption.com/Calendar

💌Sign up for our Unraveling Adoption email list: http://eepurl.com/hVIAVX

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RESOURCES:

Fred’s information:

• Forbidden Roots: A Memoir of Late Discovery Adoption: https://amzn.to/43CUJ6H

• Fred’s gluten free bread store: https://www.fredsbreadstore.com/

 

Other Resources:

• APtitude Support Group for Adoptive Parents Facing Adoption’s Challenges: UnravelingAdoption.com/APtitude

• Other Parents Like Me -  https://www.facebook.com/other.parents.like.me

• Heather Ross - Life Coaching for Parents of Addicted Teens: https://heatherrosscoaching.com/

• Find a Tele-Therapist: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/online-counseling

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Unraveling Adoption is produced and hosted by Beth Syverson

Music written and performed by Joseph Nakao

Email questions or comments to [email protected]

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Support Unraveling Adoption on Patreon: Patreon.com/UnravelingAdoption

www.UnravelingAdoption.com

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TIME STAMPS:

  1:15 How late is late for a Late Discovery Adoptee? The story of Fred’s discovery of his adoption at age 41

  4:08 Did Fred have any clues along the way?

  5:54 Life struggles and identity issues that Fred attributes to his adoption, looking back

  7:02 Was adoption even on his radar? 

  8:54 Fred’s relatives’ reactions after his discovery

12:19 Who am I now? The search process with limited access to his own documents

14:03 Wisconsin adoption legislation SB-15 

16:20 Complicated reunion with his birth mom

19:25 Is there less stigma around birth mothers today?

24:05 Finding alcohol and using it to cope with complex feelings

26:22 Practicing faith and developing tools to stay spiritually fit

37:58 How does Fred’s LDA journey as an adoptee differ from someone who’s always known they were adopted?

41:16 Late discovery strains relationships

44:04 Fred’s advice for adoptive parents

47:38 NPEs (Non Parental Event), DNA, and protecting birth moms