029 – A Lifetime of Interveners Saw Me Through
Born in the Panama Canal Zone, Stephanie was adopted by a US military family stationed there in 1961. She was never told she was adopted, but she always knew there was a family secret. When she was 43 years old Stephanie discovered the secret was her own adoption. Because she was born in the Panama Canal Zone, her adoption records were available through a Freedom of information Act request (FOIA). Unfortunately, that didn’t lead to a reunion with her biological mother. After 13 years, she has never heard from her biological mother. Fortunately, she reunited with her birth father and his entire family has warmly welcomed her. Stephanie says “For the first time I know how it feels to look into the eyes of those whom I share a connection with. That cannot be described with words.” The post http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/029-a-lifetime-of-interveners/ (029 – A Lifetime of Interveners Saw Me Through) appeared first on http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com (Who Am I...Really? Podcast). Stephanie (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/3TonYp7tsDp8RGKhgkzdYhHra2ndEYZHpbO6ouQKDibA8Zwu38gMoOVt0AefrXcab0fXpZq6Hf7leG-FMnugyYJOVEY?loadFrom=SharedLinkats=4.87 (00:04)): Cause you know, I never really looked at it that way before to say, wait, nobody uses the same pen to write something over a six year period. And it's like, and then all of a sudden, you know, it's like I've now I've just got to go. I'm thinking to myself my whole life fundamentally has been a lie. Voices (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/3TonYp7tsDp8RGKhgkzdYhHra2ndEYZHpbO6ouQKDibA8Zwu38gMoOVt0AefrXcab0fXpZq6Hf7leG-FMnugyYJOVEY?loadFrom=SharedLinkats=30.61 (00:30)): Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Damon (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/3TonYp7tsDp8RGKhgkzdYhHra2ndEYZHpbO6ouQKDibA8Zwu38gMoOVt0AefrXcab0fXpZq6Hf7leG-FMnugyYJOVEY?loadFrom=SharedLinkats=41.87 (00:41)): This is Who Am I Really, a podcast about adoptees that have located and connected with their biological family members. I'm Damon Davis and on today's show is Stephanie. She was never told she was adopted, but she says she always knew there was a family secret. In her early forties she discovered the secret was herself and the woman who raised her was not her mother. While she felt vindicated that she had been correct, the news turned her world upside down as she looked in the rear view mirror to see a trail of deception right down to the notes in her baby book. Her reunion with her birth mother didn't go as she had hoped. Fortunately, things were very different in the reunion with her birth father, Stephanie shares, how she located her birth father's roommate in the military and how he was one of the many supportive interveners throughout her life. Here's Stephanie's journey. Stephanie (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/3TonYp7tsDp8RGKhgkzdYhHra2ndEYZHpbO6ouQKDibA8Zwu38gMoOVt0AefrXcab0fXpZq6Hf7leG-FMnugyYJOVEY?loadFrom=SharedLinkats=94.7 (01:34)): I always had this feeling that I, something wasn't right. Damon (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/3TonYp7tsDp8RGKhgkzdYhHra2ndEYZHpbO6ouQKDibA8Zwu38gMoOVt0AefrXcab0fXpZq6Hf7leG-FMnugyYJOVEY?loadFrom=SharedLinkats=100.43 (01:40)): That's Stephanie. Before I even had a chance to ask her a question about her journey, she was already going deep on one of the interesting parts. So I just listened. Stephanie (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/3TonYp7tsDp8RGKhgkzdYhHra2ndEYZHpbO6ouQKDibA8Zwu38gMoOVt0AefrXcab0fXpZq6Hf7leG-FMnugyYJOVEY?loadFrom=SharedLinkats=109.71 (01:49)): You know, like there was some sort of secret in my family, something wasn't right and I kept coming back to I don't fit here, you know, and I have friends that I've had for 40 years and they always say, have you taught, you been talking about this adoption thing for ever. So the way that this happened is, um, we had family here for Christmas in 2003, um, a toothbrush was left in the house and it was a room that my adoptive... Support this podcast
