[alain]

I was 18 when I came home from my first year of college to find my b-mom. I knew where I had been born, that her parents had been divorcing around the time I was born, and that she had been 16 when she gave me up. I also knew that I was 6 months old when she gave me up.

I went to the health department of the county where I was born. I told them I needed my immunization record for college. When I got that, it had my b-mom's full name on it. Then I went to the hospital where I was born, and asked for my medical records. They had an address in Surry County, just north of where i was born. In North Carolina, marriage separations are public record. I looked for separations in families with the last name of Johnson. I found my b-granddad's name, and looked him up in the phone book. He happened to still live in the same town. I asked him for my b-mom's phone number, and I called her. The whole search took about a day and a half.

[SadMother]

That's good news, how did it go?

[alain]

She and get along more or less well, I guess. We don't talk much, but I don't have any major anger in her direction. She was 15 when she became pregnant with me. Her parents were both alcoholics, and they were divorcing up at the time. Her boyfriend beat her pretty badly. She had dropped out of high school, and was on welfare.

[jagman]

it was fortunate for u that u weren't born in michigan which makes it difficult for an adoptee to locate birth parents because everthing is sealed. i know of the ways and resources but some people find that needle in the haystack much faster than others.