1. “I just have to know”. A person’s capacity for the unknown is as unique as the individual.  Some of our clients heard a story from a relative and waited 70+ years until they just HAD to find out the truth with a paternity test.  (These stories are always so amazing.)  For others, just the 40 weeks of pregnancy are unbearable, and a painless cheeck swab in the first few days of life can answer this all-important question.  It’s all about peace of mind.
2. Family Ties. It is difficult to overstate the importance of the feeling of true belonging.  I’ve read many articles that cite research showing that being part of a close family benefits a person in countless ways, including overall health, reduced stress, better performance on the job or in school, and the increased likelihood of sustaining healthy familial relationships throughout life.
3. Child Custody Issues.   When there is a dispute over the welfare of a child and/or the best visitation arrangement for a child, you want the right people making these critical decisions.
4. Financial Security.   Paternity can impact a child’s financial situation from childhood into adulthood.  As a child, paternity may affect child support payments, medical insurance, housing and other necessities.   Long-term financial effects of paternity include possible  inheritance of money or property, college savings and other ways a parent might give a child a head start in life.
5. Medical Lifeline.  There are some instances where the identity of one’s father may make a life or death difference.  Whether considering genetic propensities or confronting a serious illness, true paternity can have a huge impact on medical decisions and the appropriate treatment course.  In a situation where an organ donation is needed, a biological father may be a source of hope.

We were a blended family with 6 children, including 3 grown sons when we decided to adopt back in 2006. We found our first precious daughter in China, aged 3 years and brought her home in October 2006. We were totally in love.

In adopting we learned more of the Chinese culture and the difficulties the older orphaned children from China faced. So once again, we decided to add an older girl, our wonderful Chloe, aged 13 ½ years in Feb 2009. We had been blessed to receive grants to complete her adoption as she was our 8^thchild.

Little did I know when I headed to China to bring her home we were about to get a shock of our life. When receiving Chloe I was handed a police report about when she was found. It stated she was found with 2 other children and I knew this was not typical. So I asked, “who are these other children?”

My question was met with silence until our guide asked my new daughter and she said “my brothers.” Well, can you imagine my shock? My mind was racing- what? How? Why were we not told? Where these REALLY her brothers or just boys she was close to and called her brothers? So many questions.

Chloe with one brother (Chance) while still in China Jan 2009

We proceeded on with the adoption requirements for Chloe and gave word to the guide to inquire about the “brothers”, the many questions we had. We learned the boys were both at the orphanage, they were known to be a sibling group at the orphanage but when found, were not reported as siblings, therefore creating a legal difficulty in proving they were siblings now, so many years later.

We did not feel this was right, our daughter was so sweet and willing to come to us, we didn’t begin to understand how. How did she make peace with leaving them? Did the brothers know for her it was the chance for a family, so they accepted losing her forever? Did they look at the pictures we sent her over the months of waiting for her paperwork to be done, of our older grown sons and think we had enough boys, thus didn’t “want “ them?

We left word that we did want both these boys as we came home, being unable to bring them at her adoption time due to immigration laws. I told our new daughter, “we will come back for them, I promise.”

As soon as we were home, we were able to apply for the first brother, having been given information where his adoption file was. We received pre- approval and proceeded with our paperwork to meet requirements, we were again deeply blessed by the generous help of many adoptive families to make the fee requirements. Our concern was the other brother’s adoption. We did not meet the financial requirements and were over the “number of minor children in the home” for bringing both boys home and we had no official proof to claim the sibling bond of these children.

We KNEW these children had to grow up together. As Chloe, by this time was learning English she told us she never believed we really would go back for the boys. We could only imagine what the brothers in China were thinking as well. So as we realized that we needed proof of their relationship, as originally asked for in China, to aid in our quest to get these boys home.

But how? We didn’t have spare funds. I said a prayer and sent off an e-mail. This ended up bringing us to Identigene. We were so thankful when they contacted us with a “please LET us help!” It was just amazing to us, they sent kits, the tests were sent in and when the results came in just DAYS later, a phone call to Marilyn aided my shaking hands to the right page for the results. She “sat” with me, as I cried, could hardly speak, for there in front of me was answer this momma’s heart KNEW would be there. All 3 children- biological siblings. No doubts.

Chloe at home Jan 2010, not so patiently waiting to go get her brothers

Without this wonderful gift from Identigene we would not be able to say that as of today, we are just weeks away, with paperwork cleared for one brother and the other one’s paperwork on the way. These 3 children, who suffered being abandoned in China years ago, only had one another to count on, will be able to grow up together. We will travel to bring them home soon.

Brothers in August 2009 with cake we sent them (bigger brother is Chase, little one is Chance)

They will not go to bed hungry ever again once home and best of all, they all three will have a mom, dad, more siblings and a life filled with LOVE. Cherished as our sons and daughter, siblings forever more within our family.

We can only thank Identigene for the most precious gift anyone could be given, a future for not one, but TWO special orphan boys, now our sons.

“You can’t change the world by adopting an orphan, but for that orphan, you have changed THEIR world. “ Unknown

I have heard cries of joy, eruptions of anger, and absolute silence to both possible results.  People constantly surprise me in their reactions. In these times I work to be as sensitive as possible to how impactful the next words out of my mouth will be for the customer.

At IDENTIGENE we are working to make this process as streamlined, accurate, and reliable as possible.  A long with the science side of things our client support team is always striving to be knowledgeable, understanding, and sensitive.  We hear many people’s stories of what brought them to this moment and where they may go from here.

We are now sponsoring a new website to provide a space for people to share stories of ALL kinds.  We have posted many stories so far of individuals who have dealt with the worries of adoption, those searching for their fathers through impossible odds, and many others.  We would like our customers to feel free to share their stories of DNA testing and how these moments have impacted their lives.

You can find this website at:  www.MyStoryRelated.com.  I hope that you enjoy the stories told there, and that maybe a few of you feel inspired to share a story of your own.

www.mystoryrelated.com is a collection of stories of people finding the connections and relationships that make up the story of who they are. Whether its a story about finding ones biological father, finding the birth mother that gave you up for adoption, or connecting with ancestors that came before, mystoryrelated allows people to read and share the stories that are a big part of their life.

Please take a moment and visit www.mystoryrelated.com and look through some of the stories. Each one is unique and each week we will post a new story.

If you are interested in sharing your story, please do. I am sure there are other like you who would love to read your story. Click Here if you are interested in sharing your story with the readers of our blog.

It all started in 2005, when Michelle and Jeremy Cundiff decided that they wanted to add to their family of 5 through adoption. During their search for places to adopt from, they watched a TV show about adopting children from Haiti. They knew that Haiti was the right place for them to look for a child to bring into their home.

Through word of mouth and friends talking to friends, the adoption story grew to include 9 other families in the Tri-State area. Friends of friends began to be interested in adopting children from Haiti. This has led to a total of 18 children that are currently going the the adoption process from the same orphanage.

Sadly, Haiti is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Because of this poverty, each of the 18 children was brought to the orphanage by a biological parent who was unable to care for the child.

“It’s not that they don’t want the children or don’t love the children. It’s that they love them so much that they give them up,” Jeremy Cundiff said.

The Cundiffs had the opportunity to meet the birth mother of the two girls they adopted. The birth mother thanked them for adopting the children.

Over the weekend the female Gorilla, Bawang of the San Francisco Zoo, showed us that adoption is not exclusive to the human race.

According to KCBS.com, shortly after giving birth, the mother gorilla, Monifa left the nest and did not attempt to care for her new born baby boy. The zookeepers tried several times to get Monifa to connect with the baby but were unsuccessful. Each time the new mother would move far away from the baby and eventually built a new nest.

Knowing that the baby needed a mother, the curators united the baby boy with an older mother named Bawang. Although the curators still have to feed the baby, Bawang has taken on the responsibility of mother and the unamed baby is doing well.

UPDATE:  If you would like to see more photos of the baby gorilla, the San Francisco zoo has posted more pics on Flickr.  CLICK HERE to see them.

Part 1

Part 2