tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post8969893394196133954..comments2024-03-27T20:48:39.389-04:00Comments on [Birth Mother] First Mother Forum: News Flash: Knowing Your Medical History Can Save Your Life--Lorraine Duskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18285341379272250245noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-2724652271337898452009-10-08T07:58:10.951-04:002009-10-08T07:58:10.951-04:00Dear Kippa
I agree with you.
The point I was mak...Dear Kippa<br /><br />I agree with you.<br /><br />The point I was making earlier was that many of the original parents were updating their info for the adoptee but it was not being passed on. <br /><br />I am one such parent - I sent in updated vital medical information about a genetic heart problem. Apparently it was tossed away into the "circular file" as they quaintly put it - straight into the bin and shredded.<br /><br />Medically unqualified social workers told adoptee Kariann Ford that her mother had "a minor bladder problem".<br /><br />No she didn't - her mother had a kidney transplant for goodness sakes! The social worker didn't even get the right organ (one has to question their intelligence on this). <br /><br />The original mother and the adoptee even signed up on the Ontario Government registry. Social workers lied to both parties telling each of them that the other didn't want contact which was a lie. They did this so the adoptee would not find out from the original mother about the kidney transplant. If the adoptee had found that out, she would know that the social workers had been lying to her and would sue<br />(which she eventually did anyway).<br /><br />In Ontario, the interference of social workers in stopping life-saving information from getting through was obscene and on a massive scale. They were stopping consenting parties from meeting each other to cover up the lies of social workers and the government agenices.<br /><br />I was told personally by one of them that they decided who deserved to live and die as far as adoptees go. She told me that she had a case in which she decided not to pass on information about cancer as "that would upset the adoptee to find out that her mother is dying, so we won't tell her". That was the mentality we were fighting against - people who really thought they were God. <br /><br />These social workers went out their way to stop updated info getting through even if that meant that the adoptee would die (just like in the Kariann Ford case - they admitted they thought she would die and only released the info when they thought that the doctors couldn't save her).<br /><br />No one should have that sort of unaccountable power over life and death - no one.<br /><br />I agree with you that the law in Ontario is not perfect but at least now no one can stop parents like myself from passing on the information like they did before the law was passed.<br /><br />That is such an important step forward in what can be a backwards place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-62673009559713942332009-10-07T15:29:27.003-04:002009-10-07T15:29:27.003-04:00". . . the Ontario government has now opened ...". . . the Ontario government has now opened the records and is allowing free passage of medical information without interference. "<br /><br />Unfortunately in most cases, unless the original parents have continued to update their information, their medical info only goes up to the time of the adoption. <br />Since most parents were young at the time of surrender, any medical problems they developed later in life will not be available to the adopted person.<br /><br />Adoptees simply deserve to have the same rights to their history as their fellow citizens. Access to everything their own information in every regard, not just medical.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-27402904825469184692009-10-07T05:36:55.560-04:002009-10-07T05:36:55.560-04:00To Laine
I can only speak from my experience but ...To Laine<br /><br />I can only speak from my experience but the Ontario government has admitted on record that adoption corruption was rife about 30 years ago in that province. <br /><br />There was no such thing as an open adoption back then partly to hide this corruption. <br /><br />Mothers and fathers were denied basic human rights when their children were wrongly (and often illegally) taken from them. Some were even told that their children had died at birth and then the "dead" baby would be put up for adoption without the parents knowledge.<br /><br />Parents were denied the right to pass on vital medical information to their children.<br /><br />Adoptees have had to sue to get vital medical information because these public agencies were not passing on information from the parents. Staff who were not medically trained were making these decisions.<br /><br />One adoptee who was denied life-saving info successfully sued for millions when 2 government agencies refused to tell her or her adoptive parents about a rare, fatal genetic disorder PKD that she actually had. The agency did not tell the adoptive parents because they did not want the adoptee to be rejected (she had been rejected once before when the first set of adoptive parents were told). Her original mother was prevented from telling her daughter about a kidney transplant that she (the mother) had received because of this disease.<br /><br />This adoptee almost died as a result. Doctors could not figure out what rare condition she had as it has no obvious outward symptoms. This adoptee had PKD which forms blood cysts on the kidneys that can then burst and cause the patient to bleed to death if left untreated.<br /><br />The public agency in court actually admitted that they didn't pass the information on until the doctors said she was going to die because then the dead adoptee would not be able to sue them!!<br /><br />Fortunately, this adoptee is a fighter and she pulled through and kicked their butts in court. <br />Her name is Kariann Ford which you can easily google.<br />She is mentioned in public records <br />(Hansard from the Ontario Legislative Assembly) as well as other places.<br /><br />As a result of this and a number of other events, the Ontario government has now opened the records and is allowing free passage of medical information without interference. <br /><br />No doubt this will save lives but it was a long time coming - how many died in the interim?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-6481627641177012062009-10-06T11:26:13.843-04:002009-10-06T11:26:13.843-04:00When I went looking for my son, (lost to adoption ...When I went looking for my son, (lost to adoption in Iowa in 1970) I let the adoption agency know that I had had 2 surgeries for a severe case of scoliosis, and that I'd recent;y been diagnosed with glaucoma. They had no interest in locating my son and sharing this information with him. Neither did the Iowa court system. Unrestricted access for adoptees to their family medical histories is a human rights issue. Closed adoption records deny appropriate medical counsel and treatment to many.Denise Emanuel Clemenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10982725113569943337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-49556975932630932142009-10-06T11:20:03.030-04:002009-10-06T11:20:03.030-04:00I have read many of the blogs on this site. Some ...I have read many of the blogs on this site. Some I can feel the pain and frustration, others just seems filled with guilt and anger. <br /><br />I am the mother of two adopted children and have had two VERY different experiences. My first son (5 yrs old now)came to our family through a CPS situation, so there was no "relinquishment" issue. However, we have met all of his birthmother's famiy and visited with them in their home about a year after his adoption. We stay in touch through letters and phone calls, but none of them were in a position to take care of him and his birthmother and birthfather were in an out of jail and rehad. <br /><br />My youngest son (3 yrs old now)is the result of a completely open adoption. I was at his birth and carried him from the OR in to the nursery. We left him in M's room at the hospital for two days for her to spend time with and make absolutely sure she was doing what she wanted to do for him. She has been to our house, even spending the night here.<br /><br />I dont know what kind of adoption agencies are involved with any of your histories, but the one we went through is strongly in favor of open adoptions. they will only do a closed adoption if the birthmother is insistant on it. We meet each other before the birth and are usually there when the baby is born. <br /><br />It sounds like their are some poorly educated/managed adoption agencies around.Lainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-68966097514176073792009-10-06T10:57:30.923-04:002009-10-06T10:57:30.923-04:00Thanks, Angelle:
I included that bit about the wo...Thanks, Angelle:<br /><br />I included that bit about the woman not being able to use her name because her adoptiveparents do not know she found her biological family does say a great deal about adoption today. Still, after all these years and all the education that should be part of the picture. Yet because she did find her sister, she was able to probably save her life. <br /><br />Secrecy still rules in many quarters. And it's disgusting.Lorraine Duskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18285341379272250245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-64993426143202065362009-10-06T09:08:26.171-04:002009-10-06T09:08:26.171-04:00"Her sister's name was not revealed becau..."Her sister's name was not revealed because her adoptive parents do not know she searched and found her first biological genetic real family."<br /><br />Doesn't that just say it all? If everyone knew that adoptees would one day have access to there OBCs then there would be an end of much of the secrecy associated with adoption.<br /><br />How guilty that adopted woman must feel that she must remain anonymous? Who could say they truly love their adopted child and put them in such a predicament?Angellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02400662014485775139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-62951737266612174982009-10-06T07:54:07.641-04:002009-10-06T07:54:07.641-04:00My son was not given all of his medical history. T...My son was not given all of his medical history. They didn't think it was important for him to know about low blood pressure. <br /><br />Skiing down a black run is not the place to find out that you have it.<br /><br />My son blacked out and crashed into a tree. He could have died.<br /><br />Fortunately, he has also inherited something else from me - incredibly strong bones which amazed the doctors who credit that with saving his life.<br /><br />His adoptive father is a doctor and even he missed the fact that my son has low blood pressure. <br /><br />Fortunately, I have found my son and taught him how to cope with this (we can't get up too quickly or we faint). He hasn't had a blackout since our reunion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-62950602080038072992009-10-06T07:41:39.885-04:002009-10-06T07:41:39.885-04:00They have taken insult a step further in British C...They have taken insult a step further in British Columbia, Canada.<br /><br />They have actually denied a medical test to an adoptee because she can't prove that she needs it - because she has no medical history.<br /><br />What a backwards argument is that!<br /><br />Surely she needs the test even more than someone who knows that cancer runs riot in their family.<br /><br />She is taking action against them though - she is suing them. I hope she wins. She has already won one legal case in which she proved discrimination on the basis of being an adoptee.<br /><br />Here is a news article about that.<br />It takes a bit of time to load.<br />(if link doesn't work, cut and paste line by line into google).<br /><br />From the National Post<br />May 9, 2009<br /><br />Denied Over DNA<br />http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1580145Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-77471374352129202142009-10-05T20:09:11.271-04:002009-10-05T20:09:11.271-04:00I never had the "protection" of anonymit...I never had the "protection" of anonymity. The adopters of my daughter had my social security number, my name and pictures of me. They even gave one to my daughter at age six to "punish" her. It makes me want to scream!<br /><br />Our family medical history is filled with cancer, asthma and a thousand other genetic issues and for her to not have it scared me. I ended up force feeding it to her. She truly believed it was no big deal. After all she was seeing the same doctor that she had always seen!<br /><br />Oy! It was a battle!Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05815710859859029536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-574300303008890516.post-35118127764607165092009-10-05T16:57:55.175-04:002009-10-05T16:57:55.175-04:00My sister-in-law died of breast cancer at the age ...My sister-in-law died of breast cancer at the age of 32, leaving behind her then-3yo son. She was adopted. Would knowing her history have helped her? We'll never know. Whenever I have mentioned my lack of access to my medical history I have been blown off with "it's not that important" and "it's your own health history that really matters". If it's not important, why is it recommended for everybody who's NOT adopted? On my children's medical forms I have to write down "mother adopted, history unknown". There's no way I can have myself and them tested for absolutely every single thing that's out there. The state of Illinois seems to think that vague mention of "heart disease" seems to cover it for my medical history, but that's only on my mother's side and I have no way to know my father's. I have no way to obtain continuing, updated medical information. Illinois' medical exchange is a joke. Reading the blogs of donor-created offspring only reinforces to me that everyone deserves the clear facts of their genetic heritage.Triona Guidryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00969598333210972017noreply@blogger.com