DoYouKnowHank?(.com)
ABOUT ME
THE STORY
PICS
YouTube
BLOG
LINKS
From Jacqlyn Edwards
When I was growing up, I always knew I was adopted. There was a book on the shelf called �Why I was chosen�, and that�s how it was always presented to me. I was chosen. I wasn�t the first child my parents chose. They adopted my older brother and sister several years before me. Then one day they got a call from a case worker from Catholic Charities who told them Jenny�s (my older biological sister) mother had given birth to another child and my parents could also adopt me so the two of us could grow up together. Not expecting to ever have another child, my parents jumped at the idea and I became a Zito.
Growing up I never knew much about my biological parents. I had an information sheet about both of them that gave the basics and a copy of a hand written letter that mentioned that my father�s name was Jim. As a teen and in college I often struggled with the fact that I didn�t know where I came from. I didn�t know why I was given up and that bothered me. My husband, who was my fianc� at the time, told me if I ever wanted to find my parents, to tell him and he would make it happen. That seemed impossible. Catholic Charities wanted to charge me an enormous fee without any guarantee and technically in Ohio it is illegal to even try to find your birth parents. One day, I finally told my husband I was ready. We made a trip up to the local birth records office and met a giant road block. There were thousands of files that would obviously take days to look through and the workers told us what we were doing was wrong and that we wouldn�t find anything. I was disappointed, this was going to be a lot harder than I thought. My husband said not to worry, he would make it work. Two weeks later, I had a name, Kathleen Amundson, and an address (the internet is amazing).
I called my parents (the Zitos) and told them the exciting news. My dad was worried, my mother excited. I shared the information I found and told them I was going to write a letter. Without my knowing, they did the one thing every book tells you not to do. They went to knock on Kathy�s apartment door. They knocked on her door and told her they knew a girl who was searching for her mother and the search led to Kathy. Kathy asked if the girls we�re alright (meaning my sister and me), but said she couldn�t help them and shut the door. Crushed. What just happened? Mom had talked to the landlord, Larry, when trying to find Kathy�s apartment and got his phone number just in case. Two days later, worried about the situation and Kathy, my mother called Larry and told him she had given Kathy some potentially upsetting news and wanted to check on her. Larry said, and I�ll never forget this �I know a lot about Kathy, does this have to do with two girls she gave up for adoption�. He offered to call Kathy�s sister and two days later I was talking with my biological aunt and staring at a picture of my mother on the internet.
My biological mother is schizophrenic. I was conceived and born in a mental institution. Kathy was told she could never talk to her daughters again when we were given up for adoption so when my mother knocked on the door, Kathy was just trying to follow the rules.
My parents and my aunt Janice are best friends now. They eat together almost once a week and enjoy evenings at each others homes. I�ve met Kathy several times and even had her attend my wedding. From my aunt Janice I found information that led me to my biological father. That story didn�t end as well. He�s also schizophrenic, a crack addict, and homeless. We also found my sister�s father but that story also didn�t end as well. He had been found deceased in a drainage canal, possibly a murder victim, but his case was dismissed as he was also a drifter.
Did my life change drastically? No. Now I know where I came from: I�m part Irish, Sicilian, and Norwegian and possibly related to the guy who discovered the south pole (in my mind that�s a definite). I don�t wonder any more why I was given up for adoption, its because that was best for me, my biological parents, and my family, the Zitos. Adoption is a wonderful gift and I�m thankful for everything I have.