Call Me Cate, An Adoptee Moves On
Call Me Cate, An Adoptee Moves On
By Cate Rees-Hessel
A New Beginning…
As I’ve passed another milestone birthday, my thoughts have wandered to my birth. I was privately adopted as a newborn by an older couple that were never meant to be parents. Through DNA testing and the state of Pennsylvania finally opening original birth certificate availability to adoptees a few years ago, I have been blessed with finding my biological family. I now have multiple siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and their families. My cousin Michelle has become one of my dearest friends; she has encouraged me to reach out to my new kin, and maintains our family tree with the accuracy of a brain surgeon – a truly amazing lady. There are so many branches, my one BFF joked my cuz is the “Director of Forestry”…
Oh Yeah, I Blend…
My adopted family was abusive and ashamed of my multi racial ethnicities. I, on the other hand, am thrilled to be an Irish, Italian, Iberian, Iraqi Jewish Christian. I was cheated out of growing up with sibling camaraderie and arguments, but I do have dear friends that have become my family. My spouse and I are truly grateful.
Choose Carefully
When I was adopted, my birth name was completely changed. This irks me; a name at birth should remain through a lifetime. Hopefully parents will take this into account before choosing overly unusual names. What we are called should be special, and should be treated with reverence. When we brought home our most recent lovable Puggle, we kept her beautiful name Sasha. In Hebrew it means defender of mankind. I will admit we changed our new kitten’s name from Hazel to Prada – one of my two spiritual mothers was a Hazel, that name being exclusively hers. Besides our cat is a constant reminder for my husband to buy me a Prada purse.
