By: Llesenia Parrish, LSS/NCA Staff
Jill had loving adoptive parents and was nervous about the challenge of reconnecting with her birth family. Would they talk to her? Would they accept her? Would they be disappointed in the woman she had turned out to be?
After years of weighing her options and with constant support from her husband, Jill decided it was time to discover where she came from despite many questions and fears. LSS/NCA conducted her adoption decades before so Jill contacted us in hopes of opening her file and connecting with her birth parents.
After months of returned letters and failed internet searches, LSS/NCA staff received one hopeful response from a woman, Tonya, who claimed to be Jill’s sister. Tonya explained that her mother always talked about a daughter who was placed for adoption the same year Jill was born. Tonya grew up knowing she had a big sister and even helped her mother search for Jill on several occasions. Tonya was able to provide additional information to our staff ensuring that she was indeed Jill’s biological sister.
Last month, we received the following email from Jill’s husband:
“Good morning! I wanted to share a couple of videos and pictures with you involving my wife Jill and the reunion with her sister…”
He explained that after LSS/NCA staff located Jill’s sister in South Dakota, the two sisters talked (and talked and talked). They instantly connected. About a week later, Jill’s husband contacted Tonya and conspired a top-secret plan to help the two meet on Jill’s birthday. He surprised them both with a “girls’ weekend” that turned out to be an emotional and wonderful reunion.
“…I planned a weekend filled with a day of pampering: massages, manicures and pedicures (like sisters do), a day at Universal Studios (Tina had never been to a big park like that) and finally on Sunday, I organized a brunch for just the women of our family to meet Tonya. Words can’t describe how happy they are – due in very large part to LSS/NCA.”
The sisters remain connected and have introduced one another to their extended family members. Moments and stories like this demonstrate the LSS/NCA mission of creating families and offering hope.
Serve Boldly 