{"id":347,"date":"2015-11-19T15:31:39","date_gmt":"2015-11-19T20:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acutabove.wpengine.com\/?p=347"},"modified":"2015-12-03T15:34:39","modified_gmt":"2015-12-03T20:34:39","slug":"piecing-together-a-broken-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=347","title":{"rendered":"Piecing together a broken life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emma Mallon<\/strong>
\nNewsprint
\nMercy HS
\n1st Place
\nDivision 4, News Writing
\nHuman Interest Feature<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I remember every detail of the day I was taken away,\u201d said\u00a0senior Lizzie Adragna. \u201cI remember bits and pieces of my\u00a0birth parents, but the most important thing I remember is\u00a0the abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adragna\u2019s birth parents were running from the police for\u00a0years before they were caught. Adragna says she was physically\u00a0abused by her biological parents. She lived in fear that she would\u00a0be sent away if she ever disobeyed them and told others about\u00a0the abuse. This all changed the day she was removed from the \u00a0care of her birth parents by Child Protective Services at the age\u00a0of 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs [the officer] was taking me out of the house I cried to my\u00a0mom, \u2018I promise I\u2019ll be good, just please don\u2019t let them take me,\u2019\u201d\u00a0said Adragna.<\/p>\n

Adragna and her siblings were placed into separate foster\u00a0care homes. Today, her brother, Alex, and sister, Florence, still\u00a0require more care since they suffer from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum\u00a0Disorder due to their mother\u2019s consumption of alcohol during\u00a0pregnancy.<\/p>\n

In situations like those of Adragna\u2019s siblings, children\u00a0need more attentive care, especially in the foster care\u00a0system. According to the Northern American Council on\u00a0Adoptable Children, 58% of children in foster care need\u00a0specialized health care. Adoption provides these children\u00a0with a life of increased parental involvement in order\u00a0to aid in their growth and improvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents visited us at the foster agency\u00a0for a while, but eventually they stopped\u00a0coming,\u201d said Adragna. \u201cEven though\u00a0they didn\u2019t take care of us, I forgive\u00a0them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adragna\u2019s adoptive parents\u00a0were hesitant as to whether\u00a0or not they could provide\u00a0a sustainable life for the\u00a0three children, but they\u00a0prayed to God for the\u00a0guidance to make the\u00a0correct decision for the\u00a0family. Their prayers were\u00a0answered when they were\u00a0driving to the adoption\u00a0agency and were cut-off\u00a0in traffic by a minivan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire car was\u00a0covered in a combination\u00a0of the Our Lady of Fatima\u00a0stickers and Adoption\u00a0is the Loving Option\u00a0stickers,\u201d said Adragna.\u00a0\u201cThey took this as God\u2019s\u00a0sign as this is what they\u00a0were meant to do, so they\u00a0adopted all three of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first time the\u00a0Adragnas met Lizzie, she\u00a0was wearing an Our Lady\u00a0of Fatima scapular that\u00a0she reportedly never took\u00a0off.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been God\u2019s will\u00a0for us to be a family,\u201d said\u00a0Mary Jo Adragna, Lizzie\u2019s\u00a0adoptive mother. \u201cThere\u00a0are challenging issues inany family, and adoption\u00a0is no exception, but we were meant to be together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lizzie is extremely grateful for the opportunities that her\u00a0adoptive parents gave her and understands that a life of abuse\u00a0and neglect would have made her a drastically different person.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy experiences make me who I am,\u201d said Adragna. \u201cMy selfesteem\u00a0has been affected, but I don\u2019t try to make it part of my\u00a0daily life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adoption is a chance to provide a better life, not only for\u00a0children in harmful situations, but also for women who are\u00a0incapable of providing an adequate life for their child.<\/p>\n

Many adults are apprehensive about adopting a child from a\u00a0broken home, while others are cautious about adopting a child\u00a0of a different race. The National Health Interview Survey found\u00a0that only eight percent of adoptions occur between parents\u00a0and children of different races. Sophomore Lexy Arthur was\u00a0transracially adopted from Detroit when she was 4-days-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am the only African-American person in my family …,\u00a0[and] I live in Brighton, where there is a black minority,\u201d said\u00a0Arthur. \u201cBeing adopted has given me tougher skin and made me\u00a0more independent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arthur is grateful for the \u2018new life\u2019 she was given through\u00a0adoption, but she admits that it was no \u201cwalk in the park.\u201d\u00a0\u201cAdoption is hard . . . but the benefits are worth it any day,\u201d\u00a0said Arthur. \u201cI would never trade my family for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior Kathleen McGee was adopted from Russia when she\u00a0was 6-months-old. Growing up with her adopted family allowed\u00a0Kathleen to develop a close loving relationship with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy adopted parents are my real parents,\u201d said McGee.\u00a0\u201cAdoption is nothing to be ashamed about; our love is just the\u00a0same.\u201d<\/p>\n

McGee commonly forgets that she is not biologically related\u00a0to her family. She admits that being adopted at such a young age\u00a0has aided in the bond she shares with her family. The life they\u00a0have given her has grately impacted McGee\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy birth mom had the right intentions . . .,\u201d said McGee.\u00a0\u201cShe wanted me to have a better future.\u201d<\/p>\n

November, the National Adoption Month, is used to promote\u00a0the numerous benefits of adoption to both children and families.\u00a0According to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, only\u00a0eight percent of all women have adopted or are in the process of\u00a0adopting children. The other 92% either have their own children\u00a0or do not have children due to choice or infertility.<\/p>\n

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, more than 1.5 million\u00a0children were adopted in the United States and 57,072 of them\u00a0were adopted in Michigan. In 2012, according to the U.S. Dept.\u00a0of Health and Human Services, only 24% of children in foster\u00a0care were adopted.<\/p>\n

The impact that a loving family and nurturing environment\u00a0have on a child is incomparable to the experiences of many in\u00a0foster care. Their new lives following adoption provide numerous\u00a0opportunities for them to grow mentally and emotionally.\u00a0Adoption should be considered as a viable option, not only for\u00a0infertile families, but for anyone who wants to have children and\u00a0make a difference in someone\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo child deserves the kind of life I had,\u201d said Adragna. \u201cTo\u00a0be rescued through adoption is something God had a lot to do\u00a0with.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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