Remember Sarah? She is the 18 year adoptee who told me:

“I have been waiting all my life to turn 18 so that I could do this (search for her birth mom). "

 
Some young adoptees talk about wanting to find their birth parents, but when it comes to action they are not ready to proceed. Sarah had already gotten her non-identifying information by the time she contacted me. She also had copies of some of the adoption documents that her parents had in their possession.
 
When she asked for my help, I told her that I would be glad to help get her started. Since she is in a different state, I knew that my resources would be limited as far as what I could do for her. However, she lives in a state that I know a few people that I figured might be able to help.
 
After having Sarah sign up with several registries, I began looking for someone who could access her state’s birth index. Although I knew that the state she lives in has one, I did not know how much information it might provide. In several states, the birth index provides the birth mother’s surname only, but I know that the information varies according to the state and the version of the birth index.
 
As an example of how stubborn perseverance often pays off, it took me nearly 10 emails to find someone with access to the birth index that would check to find Sarah's information. Even the person who finally found her was somewhat reluctant as Sarah is only 18 years old.

Is Sarah mature enough to handle reunion? Maybe it is the optimist in me, or possibly that I have an inherent belief that reunions are usually of great benefit to its participants. However, I believe that if Sarah is so eager to find her birth mom it must be something that she needs. Time will tell, but if I thought that she sounded as though she could not handle the truth, I would not be willing to help her search.  It is a judgment call, and I could be wrong. In the meantime, she now knows her birth name. Sarah already knew that when she was born, her mother already had two children and was in the process of a divorce. Her religious advisor suggested adoption to assure a two parent family for her child.
 
Not only did the person who came up with Sarah’s birth name confirm that she was the third child born to her birth mother, but that another child was born after Sarah. She now knows that she has three other siblings. I have hooked Sarah up with the woman who found Sarah's birth name, and she is now looking for more information for her. The upcoming year looks promising for Sarah!