Examining my adoption records

By AMY SHANKLAND
Perfectly Imperfect

As my adoption and reunion story continues, I’ve changed some names, places, and dates.

Imagine my excitement two weeks later to come home for lunch and find an envelope in the mailbox from the State of Ohio. I practically flew up our steep stairs to my husband’s office to share the news with him. I couldn’t bear to open the envelope up alone and was grateful John was home for lunch that day. His eyes widened in surprise at what I held in my hand.

I noticed that the envelope wasn’t too bulky and wasn’t certain what that meant. Surely it would be bigger if it contained medical records. I sat down across from John and shook as I opened it.

The first thing I saw was my original birth certificate. Of course, I had viewed my other one many times with my mother and father’s names on it. But this was the real deal, and nothing was whited out.

The name my birth mother had originally given me was the first thing on top – Autumn Sun. I thought it sounded absolutely beautiful. I saw my birth mother’s name next – Linda Ann Fitzgerald. The certificate listed her address in Cleveland, Ohio, along with some surprising information such as what month she began prenatal care (second) and when her last period had started.

It was obvious to me that Linda had taken good care of me in the womb and my heart flooded with gratitude. I was disappointed to see nothing under the section for information for my birth father. The next page did have a section showing each of their races, which was “white,” and how many years of school they had completed.

The third page was a triplicate copy of my record of adoption from the Indiana State Board of Health, with my maiden name typed at the top. The next portion had my parents’ names, dates of birth, address, and employment information. My eyebrows rose at what I saw in the second section. Linda’s name was listed, along with my birth father’s name – Jack Richer.

The Certification of Clerk of Court showed that my adoption was final on March 19 the year after I was born. I thought about what my mother and father must’ve gone through as they waited six months to be certain I could truly be theirs. That wait must have felt long and agonizing.

The final page was the Ohio Department of Health Division of Vital Statistics Listing Information Concerning Adoptive Parents. This information was used to establish a new birth certificate for me. It showed both my name at birth and my name after adoption. I felt my heart melt seeing my mother’s handwriting and then a bit of sadness.

Mom had listed that she had two living children and one child that had been born alive and was now deceased. I thought of Laurie up in Heaven at that moment and wondered if she had been watching over me all these years. She was the other big sister that I never got to meet.