Liz DeBetta always carried a deep intuition that her birth mother loved her and was thinking about her. As a domestic infant adoptee who grew up in a loving family in New Jersey, she discovered at 14 that writing could help her process the big emotions she felt but couldn't name.

Connection

In this episode of the Voices of Adoption with host Donna Pope, Liz shares the beautiful moment she received her birth certificate on her 40th birthday and reached out to her birth mother, who responded saying she had been waiting for this day for 40 years. Her birth mother had even changed back to her maiden name hoping it would make her easier to find.

Creativity

Liz reveals how poetry and creative writing became her pathway to self-discovery, eventually leading to her award-winning solo show "Un-Mothered" and her "Migrating Toward Wholeness" process that helps adoptees and families strengthen their connections through creative expression.

Growth

This conversation offers adoptive families practical tools for keeping adoption conversations open, staying curious about their children's inner world, and creating space where all feelings can coexist alongside love and gratitude.

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In this episode of Voices of Adoption with host Donna Pope, Gene Trowbridge shares his perspective as both an adoptee and adoptive parent. His multi-generational adoption story includes a childhood sister who mysteriously vanished, a 50-year wait to search for birth family, and lessons from both sides of adoption.

Loss and Search

Gene discusses receiving his adoption papers at 16 and waiting decades before searching, eventually discovering six half-siblings and a deceased birth mother. He opens up about his daughter Amy's 17-year battle with addiction and her fear of writing the letter that could have connected her with her birth mother. His other daughter Emily now co-hosts an adoption podcast 'Hey! Am I Adopted? Podcast' with him and is pursuing foster-to-adopt herself.

Reunion and Wisdom

The episode highlights his wife Kay's reunion with her biological father, who became "Grandpa Gravy" to their daughters for 25 years. Gene advocates for adoptive parents to maintain connections with adoption agencies, sharing annual updates, and keeping doors open for biological family contact when medical or emotional needs arise.

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In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope speaks with Craig S. Hyman, an adoption life coach with 35 years of experience helping adoptees and families. Craig shares his complete adoption journey from being placed at 11 months old into a loving extended family to his transformative reunion with his biological family in 1987.

Growing Up Adopted Craig describes his vibrant childhood with an "angelic" adoptive mother who became the center of his universe, surrounded by extended family gatherings of 30 people every Sunday. Despite this foundation of love, he experienced the complex identity questions many adoptees face, leading him to search for answers about his origins at age 26.

Musical DNA Discovery The breakthrough moment came when Craig learned his birth mother loved singing and piano - explaining his lifelong passion for music. His subsequent search revealed that nearly his entire maternal family worked in music, validating the genetic connection he'd felt throughout his life. The 11-month pre-internet search led to reunion, expanded family connections, and confirmation that adoption literally saved his life.

Craig now channels his experience into his Inside Out Expressive Arts Adoption Healing Seminar, helping thousands find community and healing.

Subscribe to Voices of Adoption for more adoption stories and healing resources.

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In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interview Amy Geller, therapist, researcher, and adoptee born in 1970 during the peak year for domestic infant adoptions. As the only girl and only adoptee in a family with four biological sons, Amy shares perspective on adoption dynamics that help families thrive across generations.

The Discovery That Changed Everything
At 14, Amy discovered her adoption paperwork while searching for letterhead. Seeing herself listed as "Baby Girl" sparked questions that led to a connection with her birth mother. Her adoptive parents' initial uncertainty gave way to support, demonstrating that families can navigate reunion together with openness and courage.

Decades Later, Clarity Arrives
Amy explains "coming out of the fog" as recognizing how adoption has shaped your entire life. Her doctoral research revealed that adoptees benefit most from therapists who remain open to learning alongside their clients. She discovered a 1964 book advocating for acknowledging adoption differences that remain largely unknown today, offering wisdom that can help families build stronger connections.

Amy's journey demonstrates how adoption complexity unfolds across decades, creating opportunities for deeper understanding and stronger family bonds.

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In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interviews Emily Meikle, who placed her daughter Beth for adoption at age 16 and reunited with her 17 years later. Emily's story demonstrates how faith, supportive parents, and divine guidance can transform an unplanned pregnancy into a journey of love, sacrifice, and eventual reunion that honors both birth and adoptive families.

Choosing Through Revelation

Emily shares how her mother's immediate embrace and unconditional support gave her the strength to consider adoption. Through prayer and what she describes as personal revelation, Emily felt drawn to a family with a three-year-old son, receiving multiple confirmations including matching fabric on gifts exchanged at their first meeting and the boy's insistence that the baby's name would be "Beth," Emily's grandmother's name who became the child's guardian angel after passing away a year later.

Placement and Healing

Emily describes placement as the hardest thing she'd ever done, crying for six months while simultaneously feeling peace about her decision. She wrote a song to Beth while pregnant, expressing hope they might reunite someday. Though the pain was immense, Emily never doubted her choice, sustained by faith in Jesus Christ and her parents' support. She later married, had children, and built a life while maintaining hope for connection with Beth.

Full Circle at the Wedding

Through Ancestry DNA, Emily and Beth reconnected when Beth was 17. Their reunion felt familiar and natural, leading to a relationship that includes both families. Emily was invited to Beth's high school graduation and ultimately sang a duet with Beth at her wedding. Two days before the ceremony, Emily took Beth wedding dress shopping when Beth's original dress didn't feel right, creating memories Emily never imagined possible.

Emily's story shows how adoption can honor birth mothers' love while providing children with the families they need, and how faith and open hearts can create relationships that bless everyone involved.

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Social Media links for Emily Meikle Music

Website: emilymeiklemusic.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@emilymeiklemusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilymeiklemusic/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilymeiklemusic/

One Day Song:

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/one-day-single/1787820259

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2oWagoHgSsFQwV2Fl66K7m

Amazon Music: https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0DRC7WZ3X?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_jLQ6yod8f1iq3ry3HeM6whF1E&trackAsin=B0DRC9HCHX

YouTube: https://youtu.be/gbvv3e2vV-4?si=Vja82y17HmNpg1mH

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interviews Christine Miskonoodinkwe-Smith, Indigenous writer and survivor of Canada's Sixties Scoop, a government policy that forcibly removed an estimated 20,000 Indigenous children from their families between the 1950s and 1980s. Taken from her mother at age three alongside her sister, Christine experienced abusive placement, foster care cycling, and complete disconnection from her Cree heritage and language.

Finding Voice Through Story

Christine shares her journey through failed adoption, mental health challenges including anorexia and severe depression, and eventual healing through writing. Her memoir "These Are The Stories" uses non-linear Indigenous storytelling traditions to document snapshots of survival, humor amid trauma, and the powerful moment witnessing her niece's birth that motivated her recovery. Writing became her pathway to reclaiming stolen identity and creating space for collective healing.

Reconnecting With Roots

After aging out of foster care, Christine actively searched for her biological mother, finding her on the adoption registry just one week after registering herself. Their reunion provided the biological connection she craved throughout childhood, spent wanting to "paint herself white" to escape racism. Though her mother struggled with mental health issues stemming from residential school trauma, Christine treasured their relationship until her mother's death eight years ago.

Christine's story demonstrates how Indigenous adoptees can reclaim culture while acknowledging complex realities, and why adoptive families must honor Indigenous children's heritage through active cultural connection and community engagement.

Subscribe to Voices of Adoption for conversations about identity, healing, and honoring cultural heritage in adoption.

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In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interviews Roderick Edwards, a prolific author of 50+ books who transforms his adoption story into advocacy. Left nameless at the hospital as a premature infant, Roderick's adoption at age four led to a brief three-year family experience before his adoptive parents divorced, shaping what he calls an "outsider perspective" that fueled his writing career.

Finding Family After Amnesia Roderick introduces the concept of "adoptee amnesia," where adoptees create identity narratives until reunion provides facts. When Indiana opened adoption records in 2016, he located his biological family within days using Facebook and data analysis skills. His family believed he had died at the hospital, making his reunion a powerful "back from the dead" moment that connected him with multiple siblings.

Purpose Over Bitterness Through writing his memoir "Together More: Rejection and Reunion" and documenting his journey, Roderick challenges narratives that adoption creates permanent wounds. He advocates for early honesty with adopted children, emotional preparation before search, and choosing purpose over pain. His philosophy emphasizes that adoptees control their perspective regardless of circumstances.

Roderick's journey demonstrates how adoptees can build meaningful lives by embracing their unique stories and choosing growth over grief.

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Instagram: @roderickeauthor | Official site / author site: rodericke.com | Book & Publishing / Profile Links  : Amazon

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope interviews Mike Gaines, who was born with drugs in his system and adopted at 18 months by a 45-year-old single mother facing significant barriers. The state initially resisted the placement due to her age, marital status, and the child's medical challenges, but her faith and determination prevailed.

Foundations of Trust and Care

Mike shares how his adoptive mother carefully withheld sensitive information until he reached emotional maturity at age 18, then revealed his birth circumstances, including drug exposure and parental rights termination at the hospital. Her timing allowed Mike to process his story fully, appreciating her wisdom in protecting him while maintaining honesty about his origins.

Family, Faith, and Community

His mother built a strong support network through church, godparents, and extended family to overcome single-parent limitations. This foundation enabled Mike to excel academically despite early predictions of developmental delays, eventually becoming a podcast host, children's book author, and adoption advocate who encourages families to consider older or medically complex foster children.

Mike’s journey demonstrates how prepared single parents with faith, planning, and community support can transform adoption challenges into thriving family outcomes.

Subscribe to Voices of Adoption for stories of adoption success against the odds.

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In this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope and Nathan Gwilliam interview Brett and Bonnie Hilton about their decades-long adoption journey. After Bonnie learned at 14 she couldn't bear children, the couple explored surrogacy, adoption, and multiple paths to parenthood.

Loss to Adoption

The Hilton's experienced surrogacy that resulted in quadruplets born at 24 weeks. After losing all four babies, including their son Adam who lived 10.5 months, they pursued domestic adoption through LDS Family Services. Following their first two adoptions, they expanded through international adoption in Ukraine, ultimately building a family of four children across nine adoption attempts.

Adoption Costs and Faith

Brett discusses adoption finances openly, sharing the financial fears adoptive parents face and the miraculous provision they experienced. The couple addresses genetic concerns, bonding with adopted children, and Brett's belief that no child arrives by accident. Their Ukraine adoption process reveals the complexities of international adoption systems and why fewer children find families today.

This adoption story demonstrates faith, persistence, and the transformative nature of the adoption process.

Subscribe to Voices of Adoption for more stories of search, reunion, and healing.

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In this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope and Nathan Gwilliam interview Jeff Forney, whose creative approach to finding adoption records in 1991 led to a successful birth mother reunion and ultimately inspired a community-building photography project. His six-month search involved writing to hospitals using different strategies, including one breakthrough letter that provided the missing pieces to locate his birth mother in Portland, Oregon.

Creative Search Success 

Jeff shares his detailed search process through the Adoptee Liberty Movement Association support group and describes the emotional first phone call he recorded on a 90-minute cassette tape. His reunion brought both joy and challenges as his birth mother wanted to blend families immediately, requiring careful navigation of boundaries and expectations. The experience taught him that reunion relationships need the same gradual building as any friendship, with both parties respecting each other's existing family connections.

Building Adoptee Community

This search experience eventually evolved into the Innocent People Project, where Jeff has photographed and shared stories of over 100 adoptees, including celebrities like Ray Liotta. His work validates that adoptees can love their adoptive families while still needing to understand their origins, and that gratitude shouldn't be demanded but naturally developed.

Jeff's story demonstrates how adoption search can lead to both personal healing and community service when approached with healthy boundaries and mutual respect.

Subscribe to Voices of Adoption for more authentic adoptee stories and reunion insights.

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 https://jeffforney.com/

Innocent People Project:
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