Last night I was watching a rerun of Breaking Amish. Sabrina, who was adopted and raised as a Mennonite hired a detective to find her birth parents when she broke away to New York. After some digging, the detective she hired found out that her mother had passed away a few years ago, but her father was still alive and received his contact information. She traveled to meet him and got to meet her grandmother, too.
This got me thinking about a guy I know personally and his struggles with being adopted. Personally, I think adoption is such a great thing and it truly shows a real act of selflessness by the birth parents. I could only imagine how hard it would be to come to the decision to put a child up for adoption. However, I think people ultimately choose that route in order to give their child his or her best chance.
Children of adoption have a tendency to feel like a black sheep or feeling like they don't fit in. It doesn't so much have anything to do with the love or acceptance they are receiving but more to do with them processing being adopted and trying to figure out who they are and where they come from. It can often times feel like you're all alone even when you're surrounded by so much love. As adopted children get older and become adult, I think it gets harder for them.
Their focus begins to change into more important concerns. In the case of the guy I know, I'm referring to health and medical history. In the state he was born and raised, medical history was not disclosed in his files because it was a closed adoption. This is unfortunate because if he had been four years later, he would have likely been able to receive this important information. Not knowing any family medical history is a scary thing. You have no idea if cancer runs in the family, and if so, what types and what ages were they diagnosed, the list goes on.
Everyone needs to get regular health screenings to take preventive measures, eat balanced meals, and exercise regularly. However, with adoptive children with no history they need to be even more proactive when it comes to their overall health. Of course you could have extensive medical tests done but insurance will likely not cover it and it is extremely costly. There is a lot to consider, too. If they choose to start a family, they have no idea if they are caring a gene that they will being passing on.
All many adopted children with no medical history can do is get a thorough health screening and start recording their own records and get screened for things earlier than when it's typically recommended. It's better to be safe than sorry. Also, try to hire an investigator to see if anything can be found. It's always worth a shot. However, some may not want to do that for whatever reason and that's fine, too. My main suggestion though is to keep your weigh down, eat healthier than you do now, and exercise because this is going to greatly reduce potential health risks.
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