Meet Racheal

My name is Racheal, and I was adopted when I was five years old by my foster family. I had been with them since I was a baby, but I fully understood there was a difference between being a foster kid who called them mom and dad and being “their” kid. A lot of kids came in and out of the doors that called them mom and dad, but I knew that if I was adopted, it meant I got to stay. My mom, dad, brother, and sister were all thrilled to welcome me into the family officially as were all my extended family, aunts, uncles, and cousins. When I was 16 the restrictions around closed adoptions eased and at my request, my mom reached out to my birth mom, Denise, to see if she would like to meet. The timing couldn’t have been better, the next day was her birthday and we went out to dinner. We’ve known each other for 16 years now and while she isn’t a parent to me, she is family and a fantastic friend. I’ve gained a lot more family too, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great grandparents. I’ve always been very open about being adopted, I know not all stories turn out like mine and just how lucky I am.