What Happens After...

Jane had a nice life with her adoptive family. Her mother always told her she would help her search for her birth family but she didn't want to until after her adoptive parents passed away. Jane was able to connect with some family members on both sides and is going through the journey of getting to know them.

Laura got pregnant in high school and was sent to an unwed mothers home to give birth and give her child up for adoption. The experience really affected her life but she had always hoped to one day reunite with her son. DNA testing finally made that a reality almost 50 years later. She wrote a beautiful memoir about her experiences called "You'll Forget This Ever Happened."

Laura L. Engel | Author and Mother | An Exploration of Life, Love, and Loss (lauralengel.com)

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Fred's life was upended at 41 when he was told of his adoption. His adoptive parents had never let on and died with their secret. It didn't take Fred very long to start the process to find out where he came from.

You can find Fred's book here:

Forbidden Roots | Fred Nicora

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In this week's episode, I talked with author Linda Pevac, also known by her pen name of Emma Stevens. We discussed her reunions- which both took place before DNA testing was available- and how the relationships impacted her life.

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Jim had a difficult and abusive childhood with his adoptive family. When he searched for his birth family, he found both biological parents. His relationships with his biological families went through many ups and downs throughout the course of his reunion.

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This week, author Lynn Deiulis and I address topics such as rejection, reasons why people search, and how to navigate a reunion. She draws on years of personal experience and knowledge as an adopted person and an adoption disclosure worker.

WHAT IS YOUR STORY? - WHAT IS YOUR STORY? (whatisyourstorybook.com)

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Chris was never made to feel comfortable talking about her adoption. When her adoptive father passed away, she found herself wondering if any of her biological family was still out there. She took a chance and searched. Although welcomed by her paternal family, she was met with a disappointing and confusing reaction from her maternal family.

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Edward became curious about his birth mother in his late 60's and thought it would be interesting to see what he could find. He was shocked to learn his mother had been a performer and traveled around the world in the 1940's and 50's during a very successful career.

Edward's website for his book: HOME | Mysite (digangiauthor.com)

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Cyndi was adopted by who she believed to be her birth father's brother and his wife after being taken away from her birth parents due to neglect. She had a good life with her adoptive family but always wondered if what they said about her birth mother was true. Once she started looking, she couldn't have predicted what she would find and that she would still be searching for answers after all this time.

Bonnie Jeanne Hutton's NAMUS page: Missing Person Case (namus.gov)

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Lynn was adopted at 9 months old. As a child, she wondered about her birth family. When she was of legal age, she put her name on a registry to find siblings. Once she connected with her half-sister, they went on the journey together to find their maternal family. Lynn also worked in adoption for 25 years and wrote a book to help adoptive and foster parents speak with their kids about adoption.

Check out Lynn's book at:

http://www.whatisyourstorybook.com

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