I recieved a response to my letter to Adoption Disclosure Service Program. It was another letter (snailmail, of course) with a form inside for me to fill out officially requesting contact with any member of my birth family (both sides), requesting non-identifying information such as known family history and medical history, to be put on the passive adoption reunion list and to recieve my certificate of adoption. I sent that back and have recieved another letter (more snailmail) with a confirmation that they have recieved my form, statistics about adoption reunions in Nova Scotia and a reading list to assist me in the feelings that may arise (and have already) in regards to my search and the results at various stages.
Also included in this letter is a heads up that the Adoption Disclosure Service Program is still processing request from April of 2001. Yes you read that right, three years ago. I have waited for almost 35 years, what’s another 3? Now that I’m ready to know, it’s a bloody eternity. I almost crapped myself when Carol opened the letter and read that to me over the phone. I wanted to complain immediately, but as there’s no email address, I’m too cheap to phone and too lazy to write another letter. I guess this is the way it’s supposed to be right now and I’ll just have to wait.
I did however get a nice note from a birthmother who has seen my adoption posts and would like to share her experience with me. I’d be glad to read it. What a nice surprise.
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Lordy, even the name ‘passive adoption reunion list’ sounds slow.
I (we’re, I suppose) pulling for you, no matter how long it takes. Just keep these updates coming all the way. I checked the old posts and saw that comment too, see if she wouldn’t mind you sharing with us. I wouldn’t mind hearing your take (as you will go through it yourself) on the whole thing (and I’m a sucker for happy endings).
Why not take a vacation/Holiday ( not sure what canadians term it as) and do some research yourself. Pee in the snow while you’re there
Hopefully the ending will prove happy. Regardless of how things turn out I will share.
Also, I appreciate everyone’s kind words and well wishes here. It’s not exactly the most fun thing I’ve had to face.
Mike-
I too am adopted and just as I began to search for my parents my birth mother found me. 10 months later we found my birth father in Nigeria (they met when he was a foreign student getting his master’s degree in Iowa.)
To make a long story short, it has been a wonderful experience. I do have one word of advice. I hope that you are going into this without any great expectations one way another. Some people I’ve met have had great experiences (like me) while others have not. However, the discovery is well worth the effort either way. Closure comes in all kinds of packages.
By the way- if you want to hear more about my story, pick up the November issue of GQ magazine. They had an editor and a photographer travel with me when I met my father in Africa. (It was a pretty cool deal.
Or you can do a Google search with "Marty" "Johnson" "Prince" and "Eagan". Click on the first article that comes up.
Best of luck to you! I bookmarked your site and will check back often.
Oh Yeah- a suggestion. Tell us about what thought processes you are going through as you are putting this search together.
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