Valerie'S ADOPTION STORY

On October 23, 1944, while visiting in Ithaca, NY, Barbara Ann Kaiser, almost 8 months pregnant, went into unexpected labor and delivered a baby girl after only three hours. She named her daughter Katherine Ann and soon returned to California, where Barbara lived with her widowed mother. After nursing her daughter for a week, health problems began to appear and it was soon decided that Barbara must relinquish her daughter. She and her mother traveled to Illinois and visited and agency there. They were then sent to The Cradle Society in Evanston, IL where it was decided to relinquish Katherine Ann on November 28, 1944. That was the last time I saw my mother. I was renamed Karen by the nurses at the Cradle where I lived until April 29, 1945. At that point I was placed with Helen and Fred Rodenberger. They already had a son of their own, Bob, but were told they couldn't have any more of their own. So a friend introduced them to Karen who had some physical problems. They decided to take her home to complete their family. Luckily, that wasn't the end of the family, on April 13, 1947, they gave birth to Carol. We were a happy family and I was given the name Valerie Jean. I now had a mother, father, sister and brother. The years passed and when I was nine I was finally told that I was adopted. I was told some stories about my birth parents and when I was fourteen was told a new set of stories about them. I already had the usual feelings of being apart and alone, but this made those feelings even worse. Searching for my birth parents never was an option and in fact, I didn't even know that I could until years later and I already had two children of my own. But even then my mom wouldn't let me search as she was afraid for me she said. That my birth mother wouldn't want to be found. Aside from accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior, I felt very alone, even when I was married to a wonderful man and started to give birth to my five wonderful children, one of which went to be with the Lord before we got to know him. But I did have a great sense of family. It was very important to me. Mom once wrote to me that of the three of us, I was the one who cherished family the most. I think she just sensed my need for roots which I couldn't find so I had to make some for the future. I am 53 now, and a grandmother of three, two boys and a girl. The girl looks just like I did when mom and dad brought me home from the Cradle. It was a great thrill to see someone who really looked like me, not just had some of my features. Thanks to my wonderful sister Carol who found my adoption papers, with my birth mother's name one it and got that information to me without mom finding out, I now have a place to start looking. I just hope it isn't too late. My mother would be 74 now and I hope still living. Our brother and father have both passed away so it is just Carol, mom and I now. It would really be wonderful to find that I do have a birth family out there. Through out my life the bible verses that talk about The Lord being with us from the time we are formed, have really proved to true in my life. He gave me a loving family, not perfect, but just what I needed and everything I needed in the physical realm and four beautiful children and three grandchildren to cherish. So if any of you know Barbara Ann Kaiser, to whom the date 10/23/44 means something thing, please tell her or any of her family, that I would love to get to know her.