I founder my natural family in November of 1993. I had found a grave at the end of my search but learned that I had a sister that was raised by natural mother. My sister and I met for the first time about 5 days after our first phone conversation.

Who I am is a large part related to what I have experienced. Some history about myself may help you understand where I am coming from better. I grew up in Irwin, PA and graduated in 1988 from high school and 1990 from college with an associates degree in business. About a year after I was out of college is when I initiated the search for my natural family. For the past 18 years I have been involved in many levels in the adoption community.

Here I am now, 13 years after completing my search and reflecting on what I have experienced. I think the most important of which have been marriage, dealing with elderly parents, personal health issues, and search and reunion with my natural family,

Along the way in life, I have learned that my life interests and life experiences have intersected with each other. They may have led me to several places that I might not have ever thought I would be. In the year 2000 my monthly cycle because very irregular and this freaked me out. My natural mother had died of cervical cancer 15 months prior to my finding her. I immediately phoned the doctor and made an appointment. Shortly after that I was diagnosed with something called PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome).and placed on medication to ease the symptoms and control it. When the drug was obviously not working, I went back and complained. I was then referred to a endocrinologist/infertility specialist.

This experience may have turned out totally different if I wasn’t aware of my natural mother’s medical history. I don’t think that any sort of illness or disease in anyone a good thing but it made me realize the spiritual dimension of life. I do believe that many of the good things that I do enjoy as a part of my life have either a direct or indirect relationship to my having found my natural family.

My search for my natural family, my going to the doctor and learning of the diagnosis of PCOS, assisted by the discovery that my natural mother died of cervical cancer and my marriage to my husband are the three best decisions that I have ever made for myself. My continuing involvement with adoption community has also been rewarding.

Now 13 years later, reflecting on these things I am wondering more about Jung’s concept of synchronicity. I recently saw a rerun of an old episode of Unsolved Mysteries and the eerie coincidences between adoptee and their natural families. This made me think about my own search and reunion and I almost immediately pulled out my search information to refresh my memory of the coincidences that took place before, during, and after my search. There were and still are many times I wonder if our paths didn’t cross sooner.

I learned I was adopted on November 3rd and exactly 12 years later to the day, I found my natural mother deceased.

My natural mothers brother died on August 2nd and my natural mother died exactly one year later to the day.

My natural mother’s brother mentioned above was admitted to a skilled nursing facility as a member of my adoptive family. Both of these individuals died on the same day.

The court order appointing the Children and Youth Services in the county my adoption was finalized on December 2, 1991. This was the same day that my natural mother was diagnosed with state three cervical cancer.
The first time I reached out for search assistance and called a local search as support group was August 2, 1992 which was the same day my natural mother passed away.

According to my sister, the day my natural mother passed on, she sat in traffic on the parkway for several hours due to an accident in the Squirrel Hill Tunnels. The day that I found my natural mother, myself and a very close and dear friend traveled from the far side of Pittsburgh to where my natural mother was buried. It was a good hour and a half drive. On the way back to my friend’s home, we sat in traffic for a couple of hours because of an accident in the Squirrel Hill Tunnels. In addition to this, the evening that my sister and I had our first face to face meeting, she was over 2 hours late. I thought she had changed her mind. At the time we didn’t have cell phones and when she finally arrived she said that they were sitting outside the Squirrel Hill Tunnels for 2 hours because of a traffic accident.

The first time we went to the cemetery where my natural mother is buried, we didn’t know the location of her grave. The cemetery is located on a hill and we started at the top of the hill waling row my row reading the tomb stones. At one point, I became very angry, stopped and pointed to a location that was further down the hill and stated that she was probably buried down there. My friend encouraged me to keep going and when we found her grave, the location was exactly where I had pointed.