Everyone Matters

Sharing my story is important because it tells others that they are not alone.

For me, I am not outgoing at all, so sharing my story is a way for my voice to be heard.

I would never initiate this conversation, but if someone asked me about adoption, I would 100% give them all the information they wanted about it.

I think that being able to relate to people is important in knowing that you are not alone.

"People Need People," as Jamie Tworkowski once said.

As closed up as I am, I still need people. I need to know that I am not alone in my struggles, and if I can share my story and impound that to someone else, then let my story be shared with everyone.

If someone else can relate to my story and learn something from it, then that is really encouraging for me and I want to be able to help others in that way.

I feel empowered by telling my story because it tells me " Hey, your story is important, YOU are important". That is a great feeling personally because it makes me feel and know that I matter.

 

My story begins in China.

I was raised in a Christian home with two loving parents and a brother who is also adopted, but I am unfortunately not as close to him as I would like to be.

My childhood is one I would experience all over again. I was given so many opportunities to pursue any passion or interest I had. I played sports growing up and tried to participate in as many activities and clubs as possible. My family was and still is supportive of my decisions and the direction I am headed in.

At 3 ½ years old I was adopted.

Since being adopted, there were multiple challenges I had to overcome including struggles with adoption and learning more about myself when I was in middle and high school.

I wanted to know more about my birth mother and try to understand why I was given up.

At the time that I was given up, China had a law that families could only have one child due to the One Child Policy in order to try and control the population growth. With this in mind, there were many different conclusions that I could come up with as to why I was given up for adoption. The past is something that I do not try to dwell on too much because I know that God has a plan for me.

However, I still have my questions and I think it is healthy to face those questions even if they do not have answers.

As I got older, I have been connecting with more and more adoptees and it is something that will always be a close subject to me. It is good to know that I am not alone in the thoughts and struggles I face as an adoptee.

I do not like to consider myself being "different" from my family just because they are all who I have known my entire life.

I have been thinking about the people who try and do find their birth families, and I think that is such a courageous thing to do. I also imagine it is a difficult process and can be emotionally overwhelming for many. I would like to find my birth family, but I honestly would not know where to begin, so I do not think to do anything about it.

Adoption changed my life.

I was very sick when my mother came over to get me from China. I had abdominal problems and pneumonia when my mother came and the government almost did not allow me to leave with her. However, my mother fought with them and stood her ground saying that she would not leave without me. So in essence, she changed my life once I was adopted. If I stayed in China, there is a very good chance that I would not be here today.

I am proud of being more open to my adoption story and sharing it with other people.

Thankfully, I have not personally experienced any conflicts with other people on this topic of adoption, but maybe since people know I am adopted they are more sensitive toward me. I have really grown as a person, going from being a reserved person to sharing more about myself with others. Don't get me wrong, I still am cautious and don't open up to everyone I meet, but I have come a long way from 10 years ago. I am proud that I am adopted because I feel like my life is that much more meaningful in a sense of feeling like "this is your second chance at life, so take it with full stride". This does not mean I don't have doubts or setbacks because I certainly have my fair share of those.

But, I am just proud of the person I have become and am still a work in progress.