DNA Diaries

I went to Lansing yesterday to give testimony to send Bills 4006 and 4015 to the house for a vote. My daughter was supposed to go as well. We each worked on our testimony for a week. Unfortunately her husband fell ill the night before and she had to stay home.

Well I thought it was going to be hugely intimidating and it was not. There were maybe 40 seats in the back of a small room. One desk with a microphone that anyone addressing the legislators sat at while speaking and a large U shaped desk that seated all the committee members.

I did not get to give my testimony which is both a good and bad thing. Yes I drove all that way for what would seem like nothing to some, but to me it took away all the spooky feelings, and now my daughter has a chance to make the next session that they have determined they need to gather further information.

That means if I go back, which I plan to do, I will be able to read my testimony because the women who were there last week and didn't get to speak, and came back this week, were given  special consideration  for their returns.

So now all we need to do is get my daughter signed on to speak and we will be all set. I'm glad in spite of the time and money it will take to get there again, that they are allowing a 3rd session. It gives hope that they are genuinely taking things into consideration.

There were two speakers who gave strong excellent testimony. One was Darly from MiOBC who is a lawyer, a CI, a search angel, and an adoptee. The other was a Pastor who did marriage counseling. He spoke of what he had seen in marriages where one of the partners was an adoptee. The issues that adoptee's have with relationships. Think about it, how can you have a relationship with anyone if you don't know who you are.

The women who spoke of their own personal relationships with adoption and surrender made me cry. Mostly because I could relate. One I slapped on the arm with my rolled up testimony that didn't get read and the other I had to hug after we got out of there.

One of the committee members was an adoptee light (adopted by a step parent) so even though he has one of his parents, has a copy of his OBC, he still has sealed records. I'm not even sure he realizes that. He probably never needed to get additional copies of his paper work. I do intend to ask next time I'm there.

So another session will be announced, hopefully soon, and i will be off to Lansing again. Hopefully with my daughter meeting me there to speak as well.

although I had hoped the TV station in India would have covered more, and still may, I am a little disappointed in what they left out. Particularly the marking on her body.

But something has come through on the brighter side. she received a comment on one of the segments from someone in India, or who keeps up with Indian news, that she most likely came from the southern part of India and that the TV stations of the north are not watched in the south. she was instructed to get her story out in southern India in the proper dialects and she might stand a better chance of reaching someone who knows something.

THEN SHE GOT an email from a journalist who had talked to the mother superior in charge of the convent. She has only held this position for a year and a half so she really doesn't know anything. He too suggested getting her story out in the southern parts of India and suggested the same places as the commenter. He said he would be in touch with her so there is hope that he is going to help get that done. He also let her know that every station had covered her story this morning, or when ever morning is in India, the other stations have picked it up.

One note to point out, they did get Vanessa's age wrong. someone commented on her not being able to recollect or search for her family from the age of 3, and being 30 now. As best she can guess, because she doesn't know for sure, Vanessa is 40. How sad, can you imagine, not knowing your own age or birth-date.

There is really nothing more intimate to me than that what is mine. My name, birth date, length, weight, time of birth, ancestry.

I know several International adoptee's who share Vanessa's dilemma, no name, no age, no birth date, and no history. Hopefully the days of never finding out are over.