A Williams Lake man who found his birth sister after 73 years said the experience has been nothing but positive.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been really great and so awesome for this to happen,B次元官网网址� Clayton Myers said as he sat beside his sister Donna Smith and held her hand.
Last week Donna made her first trip to Williams Lake, travelling with her daughter and son-in-law.
The two siblings said they first met through letters, then a conference call at the prompting of an adoption agency in Saskatchewan.
After that, Clayton, and his wife Karen travelled to Abbotsford to meet Donna and her husband at their home.
To this day Karen still thinks it was amazing how welcoming Donna was right away.
B次元官网网址淪he didnB次元官网网址檛 know anything about us and yet she invited us into her home,B次元官网网址� Karen said.
Donna said she believes God brought them together.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been able to have a few visits in person and we talk on the phone and text,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e learned so much about our family.B次元官网网址�
It was curiosity about their medical histories that first inspired Clayton and Donna to inquire about their backgrounds.
B次元官网网址淏eing adopted you donB次元官网网址檛 know what kind of health problems you may have in the future,B次元官网网址� Clayton said.
Initially he received a 45-page package from the adoption agency, but said there was no medical information included.
Around the same time, Donna was also making inquiries because her children wanted to know about her medical background.
Clayton was born in Regina in 1934 and Donna was born in Saskatoon in1936. They shared the same birth mother and father.
Once Clayton and Donna were put in touch with their birth family, they discovered their parents were married in 1937 and went on to have five more children B次元官网网址� two boys and three girls.
Their birth mother died at age 93 in 2007 and their birth father died on their 50th wedding anniversary.
Growing up, the five other siblings knew nothing about Clayton and Donna and were totally shocked to learn about them, Donna said.
B次元官网网址淚 think there was skepticism about whether we belonged in the family or not, but you cannot blame them, after all these years,B次元官网网址� Clayton said. B次元官网网址淚 think after they saw how much Donna was like their mother, it put the icing on the cake.B次元官网网址�
Clayton first learned he was adopted from his older sister when he was about 15 or 16 years old.
B次元官网网址淢y sister was living in Saskatoon at the time and I went in to visit her and she told me. I cried over it, because looking back at all the years I didnB次元官网网址檛 even know that. Then she tried to deny it, but I said, B次元官网网址榥o, youB次元官网网址檝e told me and itB次元官网网址檚 got to be true.B次元官网网址� It was OK. I accepted it, but it was a shock.B次元官网网址�
When he talked to his adoptive parents about it, he never learned why they had kept it a secret.
B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 the way those things went in the early years. I knew another boy at school who was adopted and some of the kids found out and they made his life pretty terrible. They teased him. It was pretty tough for him.B次元官网网址�
Donna was five years old when a neighbour girl got angry at her and told her she was adopted.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 never heard the term before so I went home crying to mom so she sat me down and told me babies came from two different ways,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址楪od gives them to mommies and daddies or you write a letter,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址榃e got you as a letter baby so we chose you.B次元官网网址� So I said to my brother, B次元官网网址榯hey had to take you, but they chose me.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Her adoptive mother told her her background, but Donna said at the time she wasnB次元官网网址檛 interested.
B次元官网网址淚 told them B次元官网网址業 love you, youB次元官网网址檙e my mom and dad and I donB次元官网网址檛 care about anything else.B次元官网网址� I was young, I wasnB次元官网网址檛 thinking ahead.B次元官网网址�
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Donna was born at the Salvation Army unwed mother home in Saskatoon.
B次元官网网址淲hen I was two weeks old I came up on the train to my parents with a welfare worker to Melfort, Sask.,B次元官网网址� Donna said.
Her adoptive mom had been in a car accident and was told she would never have children so they put in for adoption.
B次元官网网址淓ighteen months after I was adopted she had my brother and then 14 and 17 years later had two more girls after I was 16. I was so excited. Mom cried because she thought IB次元官网网址檇 be so embarrassed.B次元官网网址�
Donna said the beauty of her life is that with her adoption she was never treated any differently than her siblings growing up.
B次元官网网址淭hey were blonde and blue-eyed so I said I was the black sheep of the family. But my dad had dark hair and when they wrote to the welfare department for adoption a letter came back with four babies described. Dad chose the baby with dark hair and blue eyes. By the time I got to them two weeks later my eyes had turned brown, but they kept me anyway.B次元官网网址�
ClaytonB次元官网网址檚 older sister was adopted as well, but she was quite a bit older than him so he did not have a lot of time with her, he said.
Donna has four children, 21 grandchildren and an 18th great grandchild due in August.
Her husband died last year after they had been married for 63 years.
Clay has three children and three grandchildren.
B次元官网网址淏eing apart the way we are, with our age and our health, itB次元官网网址檚 difficult and I would just love Clay to meet all of my family,B次元官网网址� Donna said.
Smiling Karen said she had enjoyed watching the two siblings making oatmeal together in the kitchen.
B次元官网网址淚t has just been such a miracle that they even met,B次元官网网址� she said.
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