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Shelby, who lives near Seattle, Washington, grew up loved in adoption, but also in a home broken apart By domestic abuse. When the existence of her sisters was revealed, Shelby felt an urge to find her birth family, but she pushed it way down for many years. In reunion, Shelby found her nuclear family still together. She's had to overcome the sorrows of lost time as she and both of her families push forward with love, making the most of the moments they have ahead together. This is Shelby's journey Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Rachael, who lives in Dover, Delaware, is a transracial adoptee who endured favoritism toward her brother, microaggressions from her adoptive mother, sexual assault and a physical attack. Rachael went behind her parents' back to find her birth mother only to have the relationship cut short. Later, Rachel found her birth father behind bars, but so glad to finally see his little girl again. Rachel calls herself a "Phoenix" for all that she's endured and the strength she brings to the life she lives today. This is Rachel's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Annie, from Auckland, New Zealand is a late discovery adoptee. When she learned that she was adopted the news made her blood run cold. She said her life split into two people: the people pleasing adoptee who wanted to remain in her family and be accepted and the rebellious adoptee who refused to be what others expected. In reunion, Annie found her birth mother had been waiting years for her to return and a birth father she unexpectedly learned to appreciate, especially juxtaposed against the adoptive father she grew up with. Annie is an adamant unwavering advocate for adoptee rights. This is Annie's journey Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Today you're going to meet Joe, from New Jersey. Joe is a pseudonym for the true identity of my guest who wanted to remain anonymous. Joe didn't want for anything in adoption, but he's never been very open speaking about his adoptee status either. He said his reunions are complex because his paternal side has embraced him connecting with them. But his maternal side has placed roadblocks In front of Joe's progress to try to meet his birth mother. Joe told me he just wants to thank her for the life she gave him. This is Joe's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Jillian, from New Jersey, found out she was adopted in her early teen years when she asked a question that lots of kids asked their parents about the time when they were born. What she learned was shocking, but Jillian didn't address her adoption for years until she was over her grief and passed her guilt for wanting to search. Jillian admits that in her adoption reunion she and her birth mother had a communications breakdown that may have ended their relationship prematurely. However, Jillian wonders if her mother has told her the truth about who her birth father could be because she and her search Angel can't find him. This is Jillian's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Danielle, from Kirkland, Washington, has always felt love and loyalty to her adoptive family. So when the doors of reunion were thrown open and information started flying at her, she fell flat on her face. Danielle lived a reunion experience so many adoptive people have imagined -- her birth mother IS a celebrity. While that sounds exciting, the speed of their reunion left no space for Danielle to process what was happening. Fortunately her paternal reunion was more easygoing and with some work, Danielle has grounded herself in who she is in both relationships. This is Danielle's journey. Danielle's Memoir - Healing Tree Kate's Memoir - Born With Teeth Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Amy, from outside of Chicago, grew up looking visibly different than her family in a way that didn't meet societal stereotypes for her family's beliefs causing her to have to explain her adoption more than she might've liked. Curious about her ethnicity and background Amy found links to her birth family through DNA. In her maternal reunion, Amy found her birth mother's family shares many of her creative traits and they have welcomed her as their daughter and sister. But her paternal connections only happened once and seems to be blocked by her birth father's spouse, even though the man should be able to empathize with Amy for himself. This is amy's journey Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Laurie, from Washington state, grew up as an emotional child crying frequently, but no one ever asked what was wrong? They simply wrote her off as being sensitive. When Laurie's adoptive sister was found by her birth mother, Laurie was shocked at how much they looked alike and it ignited her desire to search. In reunion, Laurie's birth mother was very open with every question Laurie asked, but she retained a big secret to the one question Laurie never asked. In her paternal reunion, Laurie encountered mistaken identity, the glow of a honeymoon period and the emotional downturn of the discovery of her birth father's character. This is Laurie's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Pippa, from California, Pippa grew up in a wonderful Irish family where she and her brother were supported and loved. When her brother's birth mother found him, it catalyzed Pippa's desire to return to Ireland to find her birth family. In reunion Pippa found a birth mother who had suffered a lot of loss in her young life, a birth father whose alcohol consumption made her uncomfortable, and, when it seemed like her journey was over, a huge secret was revealed out of nowhere. This is Pippa's journey. Pippa's Memoir: Intertwined Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Growing up in Leah’s home everyone was comfortable with adoption. Her adopted mom is an adoptee, and her two siblings are adoptees, though they are biologically related to one another. The kids were made to feel special because her parents chose them. But no matter how much love an adoptee receives, sometimes knowing that their origins are with another set of parents can fuel undeniable desires to try to learn more about themself. In Leah’s story, she was at a moment in her life when she wasn’t actively searching when her c0-worker’s luck online changed everything in an instant.  The post 004 – Lucky Online, Connecting When You’re Not Even Looking appeared first on Who Am I...Really? Podcast. Leah:                           00:01               So my search kind of stopped there for some time. It really stopped for probably 10 years or so before I was even really looking again, I kind of decided at that point, look what I have in my fantasy is all I need. I don't necessarily want the truth. That truth may not be what I want to hear. Voices:                        00:24               Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Damon:                       00:35               This is "Who Am I Really" a podcast about adoptees that have located and connected with their biological family members. Hey, it's Damon and on today's show I'm joined by Leah. Now we've all been online and found ourselves going down what seems like a rabbit hole content that's automatically fed to us. But what if that rabbit hole led you straight to your family of origin? In Leah's case, after years of searching on and off for her relatives, it turned out that she just needed a little bit of luck online. I'm so glad that Andrea was able to connect us. Damon:                       01:19               So tell me a little bit about your family growing up, your family structure and you know, as an adoptee where you fell in your family and how it was in your...

I think of Pam, from outside of Richmond, Virginia, as a late discovery adoptee who learned she was adopted when another child spilled the tea. Speaking with her adoptive mother about the news she was adopted, Pam learned that she was supposed to be placed temporarily, not adopted into another family. Pam's reunion journey has multiple twists and turns as she grew up in the town where she was born and her birth family lived. She had awkward reunions in inappropriate places and sibling relationships that started out as one thing, but ending up being something completely different. Finally Pam found her birth father and a man who calculated that he wasn't the guy but DNA testing revealed the real story. This is Pam's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Lisa and I connected right before she was going to meet her biological father for the first time and a cousin she's completely enamored with. Lisa shared that she was adopted as an infant into a failing marriage where divorce soon followed. While other people outwardly noticed how different she looked from her brother, she considered him, her brother, no matter what, despite her status as an adoptee. But after everyone passed away, Lisa felt like she was finally free to pursue connections to her birth family. I would normally share a bit about her reunion here, but we don't know anything yet. So I'll simply say this is Lisa's journey so far... Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

Rob called me from right here in Maryland. Trigger warning. Rob shares his harrowing story of his childhood surviving, mental and sexual abuse under the guardianship of his parents. After their deaths Rob went into foster care and became homeless, navigating life with his belongings shuttled from place to place in trash bags. Rob fought hard but struggled to overcome the trauma of his life until he finally visited his mother so he could set himself free. Rob found love with his husband, Reese, and they've created a family. He is the founder of Comfort Cases (www.ComfortCases.org) a charity that helps foster children to navigate foster care with dignity. Rob's Book: A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Family At A Time This is Rob's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean

In her adopted family Tameko’s parents just assumed that as an adoptee, she was misbehaving, but when her older adopted brother showed up he actually started framing her for terrible things, trying force her out. Even worse, he abused her. On her search, she read a description of her birthmother that humanized her, but the first pictures Tameko saw online documented the hardening of a once beautiful woman. Read Full TranscriptTameko:                      00:05               this is turning her into a real person and I’m like, I’ve never, I’ve never looked at my mom like that. It’s always somebody was always trying to make her seem like a bad person, so it seemed like my adoption was like this a great thing, which it was, but it’s like don’t make her look like a monster. Damon:                       00:41               Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who amq I? 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 Tameko. She called me from Seattle, Washington in her adopted family Tameko. Parents just assumed that as an adoptee she was misbehaving. But when her older adopted brother showed up, he actually started framing her for terrible things, trying to force her out even worse. He abused her. On her search. She read a description of her birth mother that humanized her, but the first pictures Tameko saw documented the hardening of a once beautiful woman. This is Tameko journey. Tamika was in foster care until she was adopted at about three years old. Tameko:                      01:36               One day in the foster home I was in. I was like three , they were like oh, someone’s gonna come and take a look at you and I’m fine. they might want to adopt you and I was like, all right, cool, So they were like go take a nap. And I was like, wow. Now I’m excited. I went up to my room in my room and I, you know, and I’m kind of peeking around the corner and you know, finally, uh, someone knocks on the door and this, and they opened the door and this woman, this black woman, and I’m like, mom, because I’m, well, I’m black, but I’m that. I knew of at the time. So I was like, oh. And I was living in a foster home that a lot of white people, and it was Mormon. Damon:                       

Ashley had one of those moments where talking to her biological sister felt so familiar it was like texting and and responding to herself.  But her birth mother’s pain and uneasiness over Ashley’s desire to learn anything about her birth father was too much for the woman, and their relationship suffered. When she found her birth father Ashley, predictably, learned that he didn’t know she existed. But incredibly he learned that his wife, who was not Ashley’s birth mother, already knew her husband had a child out there, even though he didn’t.   Read Full TranscriptAshley:                        00:00:02          I was worried about her because she just is so constantly, basically, it seemed like she was depressed about the situation. I just wanted to make it go away. I just wanted her to know I had a good life. I was happy. I’m still happy. You’re in my life now. Let’s just go with it because, and I remember I said to her, not many people get this chance. Not many people get a chance to meet their biological family and get to know them and I said like, like let’s take advantage of this. Voices:                        00:00:35          Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Damon:                       00:00:47          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 Ashley. She lives up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Ashley had one of those moments where talking to her biological sister felt so familiar. It was like texting and responding to herself, but her birth mother’s pain and uneasiness over Ashley’s desire to learn anything about her birth father was too much for the woman and their relationship suffered. When she found her birth father, Ashley predictably learned that he didn’t know she existed, but incredibly he learned that his wife, who was not Ashley’s birth mother already knew her husband, had a child out there even though he didn’t. This is Ashley’s journey. Damon:                       00:01:37          Ashley was adopted as an infant because her adoptive parents weren’t able to conceive. She described her life as comfortable and she got a lot of love from her parents. They held her and rocked her every day. In school, he was...

Neal’s search didn’t take off until he was 66 years old! He got a DNA kit for his birthday and within months he was in touch with his paternal family. Ohio’s open original birth certificate help him learn his birth mother’s name, but he couldn’t find a single maternal connection during his search. This episode was just about to be wrapped up to go live, when Neal circled back to share some big news. Read Full TranscriptNeal:                           00:01               He didn’t really remember very much about my biological mother and that’s a, that’s a search that continues to this day. Um, and sort of like, uh, everything that was fast and relatively easy about finding my genetic father and his family has been difficult about trying to find my genetic mother. Voices:                        00:35               Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Damon:                       00:47               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 Neal. He called me from right here in Rockville, Maryland. Neal search didn’t take off until he was 66 years old. He got a DNA kit for his birthday and within months he was in touch with his paternal family. Ohio’s open original birth certificate policy, helped him learn his birth mother’s name, but he couldn’t find a single maternal connection during his search. This episode was just about to end when Neal circled back to share some big news. This is Neal’s journey. Neal was raised in bay shore, New York on Long Island. He figures his parents must’ve done a good job with helping him to feel okay with his adoption because he always knew and his parents openly pointed out friends in the neighborhood who were adopted too. He had one younger sister also adopted and his parents selected a special day to commemorate their adoptions. Neal:                           01:50               Valentine’s Day became sort of our day to commemorate uh, our adoption of me and my sister. And uh, we just kind of, they just kind of made a big deal about it and uh, they were...

Serena told me she had a similar experience to what a lot of adoptees feel, even though she grew up with her birth mother. I’m always talking about empathizing with others, so I wanted to hear her story. Serena told me about her birth on a Native American reservation in Arizona then her mother moving away. She was adopted by her father when he married her mother, but Serena never knew her biological father. When her paternal family called to say her birth father was ill, she was too stunned to act quickly, so she only met his relatives at his chaotic funeral. Take a moment to listen to the parallels between what I’ll call Serena’s “adoption adjacent” experience and those of other adoptees. Read Full TranscriptSerena:                        00:02               I don’t think I recognized the severity of his sickness. I didn’t… At that age, you still think you’re invincible and I had never had anyone that was even close to me die. So to have, you know, these people who are part of my paternal family, but I’ve never, I’ve never known call me and sort of dropped this sort of bomb. I think I just kind of froze. Voices:                        00:35               Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I in mind? Damon:                       00:47               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 Serena. She called me from Virginia shortly after I met her at the Maryland Pod-casters Association meetup. She told me she had a similar experience to what a lot of adoptees feel, even though she grew up with her birth mother. I’m always thinking about empathizing with others. So I wanted to hear her story. Serena told me about her birth on a native American reservation in Arizona. Then her mother moving away, she was adopted by her father when he married her mother, but Serena never knew her biological father. When her paternal family call to say her birth father was ill, she was too stunned to act quickly, so she only met his relatives at a chaotic funeral. Take a moment to listen to the parallels between what I’ll call Serena’s adoption adjacent experience and those of other adoptees. This is Serena’s as journey. Damon:                       

Rick’s birthmother relinquished him into foster care where he was terrorized as a toddler. He was eventually adopted around age 6 but always felt like an outsider. At 16 years old he reunited with his maternal family who informed him his mother was institutionalized for paranoid schizophrenia. Their reunion didn’t go at all how he had hoped. When he found his birth father, the man was incarcerated but welcoming. Eventually, Rick distanced himself from his birth father and when he tried to reconnect, it was too late. Read Full TranscriptRick:                            00:03               Like this was part of her schizophrenia, you know, so she believes that she had another child. I’m an only child. She believed that she had a girl that was taken away from her too. So this is a lot for a 16 year old boy just to take in, you know, I’ve never been around anybody mentally ill. I’ve never experienced this. And now this was my…. This is my mom. Voices:                        00:35               Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I mind? Damon:                       00:47               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 Rick. He called me from Central Illinois. Rick tells the story of being terrorized in foster care as a toddler and challenges in childhood, connecting with his adopted family. Those early issues drove his desire to find his birth mother, but when he did, her mental state wouldn’t allow them to connect. Rick hadn’t focused on finding his birth father at all, but when he did, the man was surprisingly receptive. They had a falling out and Rick tried to reconnect later, but he learned it was too late, but that news wasn’t even the worst news of that day. Rick’s doing just fine now, but he’s been through a lot. This is Rick’s journey… Rick says, adoption was never really talked about in his house growing up, but even before his adoption, he says he spent the first years of his life with his mother and grandmother. Rick:                            01:50               I have kind of a unique experience. I wasn’t...

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 029 – A Lifetime of Interveners Saw Me Through appeared first on Who Am I...Really? Podcast. Stephanie (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 (00:30): Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Damon (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 (01:34): I always had this feeling that I, something wasn't right. Damon (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 (

Brittney, from Connecticut, grew up knowing but not closely connected with her biological mother . After a bombshell moment where her mom revealed the truth about her paternal parentage, Brittney felt like she was left to clean up the mess of lies. She was conflicted about searching for her birth father because of her loyalty to her adoptive father. Brittney said she was glad she searched because what she learned filled a hole she didn't even know was in her. This is Brittney's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website Share Your Story Damon's story Find the show on: Instagram Facebook Apple YouTube Spotify Google TuneIn  Stitcher Player FM Podbean