“‘It’s just fireworks.’ Reloading, shooting, reloading, shooting. I kept saying, ‘I shouldn’t be here, I have kids.’ A week later, the survivors planned a moment of silence at 10:04 p.m. I went outside, looked up at the stars. Suddenly, ash the took the sky. Our town was on fire. I’d just survived the worst mass shooting in American history, and we were now stuck in California’s deadliest wildfire.”
‘Let’s go get our kids!’ We didn’t have a plan. One by one, they entered the room.’: Woman survives Route 91, Las Vegas Mass Shooting, adopts nieces, nephews in wake of siblings’ deaths
‘You were the product of a one-night stand,’ my mother said. Something in her voice let me know I couldn’t trust her. She let me go on a wild goose chase when she knew the truth all along.’
“Switched at birth. I lost my family, my identity, and even my last name. I didn’t know who I was anymore. When I was a bit older, both of my parents sat me down to tell me the truth.”
‘It was New Year’s Eve. Midnight came. Just like that, the love of my life was gone. I’ll never forget the look on her face. She gently patted me. ‘I love you.’ That was the last time I saw her as herself.’
“The next morning, I got a call. ‘She won’t answer the phone or come to the door.’ 25 nerve-wracking minutes later, we found her. I was standing at the head of the bed. I brushed her hair with one hand, her shoulder with the other. I wish I could tell you she looked peaceful, but she didn’t. She looked scared.”
‘I wanted to find my biological parents. My mom told me ‘no’. It was a closed adoption. Soon after, a mail order DNA test caught my eye.’ Woman ‘stuck between 2 worlds’ embarks on search for family names
“On top of being adopted and feeling different, I WAS different. With my dark hair, green eyes, and short stature, I stood out. I remember looking at pictures, my family laughing about how all their noses matched. I couldn’t participate in the conversation. I felt like an outsider. My husband and I decided it was time. I sent it off.”
‘Our foster son came home with Family Tree homework. Seems innocent enough—until you have a kid whose tree has gone through a hurricane’
“Who are we? Are we family?”
