20 Years Searching for My Biological Family - Erika Gitsham

What happens when an adopted person discovers that the story they were told about their beginnings wasn’t true?

In this episode of Jigsaw Queensland’s Adopt Perspective, Jo speaks with Brazilian-born adoptee Erika Gitsham about her extraordinary search for her biological family - a search spanning more than 20 years, two countries, DNA testing, family trees, Facebook groups, lawyers, a private investigator, a police officer and countless dead ends.

Adopted at birth in Brazil, Erika grew up believing that her biological mother had died during childbirth. It wasn’t until adulthood, as Erika began thinking about having children of her own, that her adoptive mother revealed the truth: her mother had not died and there was a document containing her name.

That revelation began a search that would test Erika’s persistence and take an enormous emotional toll. Along the way, she confronted missing adoption records, misinformation, failed leads and even the heartbreak of believing she had found her mother, only for DNA testing to prove otherwise.

Then, after decades of searching, everything changed.

Erika finally received DNA confirmation connecting her to both sides of her biological family and travelled to Brazil, where she met her mother, siblings and extended family.

This deeply personal conversation explores international adoption, identity and belonging, adoption search and reunion, DNA testing, the emotional cost of searching for biological family, relationships with adoptive parents, and what it means to finally see yourself reflected in the faces of people to whom you are biologically related.

It is also a remarkable story of persistence, human kindness and Erika’s determination to answer one of the most fundamental questions many adopted people carry: Where do I come from?

Keywords: adoption, reunion, DNA testing, intercountry adoption, family search, perseverance, identity, emotional journey

Key topics: Intercountry adoption challenges, DNA testing and family confirmation, Emotional impact of reunion

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Erica's Journey

04:31 Childhood and Early Adoption Experiences

08:47 The Complex Search for Biological Family

13:18 The Emotional Toll of Searching

17:19 DNA Confirmation and Family Connections

22:36 Reunion with Biological Family

29:45 Reflections on Identity and Belonging

32:31 A New Chapter Begins

This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠⁠⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠

To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website.

Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠⁠⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠⁠⁠)

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If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service.

A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.