She Never Forgot About Me
By Anthony Boey

I saw an ad on YouTube that said “Ohio’s Adoptions Laws are changing” and if you were adopted between certain years you could get a copy of your original birth certificate. It stopped me in my tracks. I was born and adopted in Ohio during those years! Within a few days, I applied for a copy of my original birth certificate, and when I received it, I began my search. Without understanding the best process, my search was coming up empty. I was beginning to lose hope that I would ever know my past.

During the holiday season, my wife asked me what I really wanted for Christmas. I told her that I wanted to know anything about my biological family, good or bad. I contacted Adoption Network Cleveland and was connected to the Coordinator of the Adult Adoptee and Birthparent Program, Traci Onders. Traci helped me through it all – to find any leads and support me through the process along the way.

After a few months of working through many twists and turns, Traci was able to find an email address of someone who could potentially be related on my birthfather’s side. When I sent the email I had just finished my shift at work, I was worn out and tired. Soon, I noticed that I had a reply in my in-box. I was thinking to myself that it was another dead-end lead. I opened the email and it was a letter from my biological sister Barbie. I was so happy that I squealed with delight.

I learned that Barbie always knew that she had a younger brother who was adopted out of the family. She told me that it was one of her dreams that she would be in contact with me. She was so overjoyed when she read my letter that she startled her husband who thought that something was wrong. She asked her husband to read the letter again, thinking that “this must be a dream.”

In the email I sent her, I had included a picture of myself along with my phone number. She responded with a photo of herself and her number as well. I called her almost immediately, and she was so happy. She was crying and I was too. She just wanted to know that I was all right, and if I was happy. She told me that my biological family never forgot about me. She also said if I wanted nothing to do with them, that it was okay. I told her that I wanted her and her family to be a part of my life. She was so happy, that she called everyone in her family to tell them that we found each other. She wanted them to know and never forget that “nothing is more important than family.”

I cried happy tears for about hour. My wife had a tough time settling me down for the night. Now I write to my sister almost every day. We never knew that as we each were growing up we were in neighboring suburbs. We might have passed each other by and not known who each other was. It’s so important to me to know that she never forgot about me. All she wanted to do was find me, and to know that I was all right. Finding my sister was the best Christmas gift of all time. Every day is sweeter now. Both of my biological parents have passed on, but I feel knowing that their family is now complete, they can rest in peace.

As my sister said to me and her family, “Never give up on your dreams, because your dreams will never give up on you.”