Gladney Blog

As you are exploring adoption as an option for your family, we are sure that you have many questions. Once a month we ask Thomas & Stephanie a question about their adoption experience.

The 2018 TCS New York City Marathon is coming up on November 4th. Between now & then, we'll be introducing you to Gladney's charity runners.

The 2018 TCS New York City Marathon is coming up on November 4th. Between now & then, we'll be introducing you to Gladney's charity runners.

As a young girl, and the oldest of five children, I always knew that someday I would be a mother. What I didn’t know, is that how I would become a mother would be one of the most important things I would ever do in my life. When I started dating my future husband in college, having children someday was a very quick conversation because we were on the same page. When we had been married for five years, the conversation went from some day to now, and then quickly became a conversation about how difficult it was going to be. Infertility was something neither of us ever expected, and while we were still on the same page about becoming parents, infertility treatments and adoption were not things we were prepared for, especially financially. We were in our early 30’s and we had just started building our future.

This internship has been so much more than I ever expected! I first heard about Gladney after I started the MSW program at the University of Texas at Arlington. When the opportunity presented itself to apply for an internship here I jumped at it, but I was not holding my breath on being one of the few lucky ones to be selected. Then, the much-anticipated e-mail came in…” you have been accepted as an intern at the Gladney Center for Adoption”. Intern at Gladney?! Me?! I felt like my eyes were deceiving me! I remember calling my mom to tell her and then quickly assuring both of us that it was too good to be true. I am so glad that statement was wrong!

The 2018 TCS New York City Marathon is coming up on November 4th. Between now & then, we'll be introducing you to Gladney's charity runners.

The Beginning

It started in Can Tho, Vietnam when I was placed into a baby home 9 days old until I was two. As I was living in the orphanage for those two years my adopted parents were searching for a child to adopt. It’s crazy to think how I got adopted because I knew they really were looking to adopt a Chinese girl until the adopted agency told them that they have a bunch of Vietnamese kids waiting to be adopted. They’ve told me the story many times and I can still recall it till this day. They received the video, and both of them watched the video separately to see if they would pick the same kid out of the video that they would want and as crazy as it is to think both of my parents picked me. They said that I was the biggest kid and most energetic, so it was easy to point me out, and I still carry those traits today. I have no memory on my travel from Vietnam to the United States, but I’ve definitely been told that I was very scared and confused. I mean, who wouldn’t be confused when coming to a new home?

The 2018 TCS New York City Marathon is coming up on November 4th. Between now & then, we'll be introducing you to Gladney's charity runners.

When people talk about adoption, there are always a LOT of questions.  It’s a subject that can be polarizing, mysterious, and sprinkled with both joy and grief.  There are certain times when questions are welcomed, but there are definitely times when questions are inappropriate and can be damaging.  Adoptive parents are not expected to educate the public about all things adoption---especially while they’re grocery shopping with their children at Target. 

Adoption fundraising can seem overwhelming when you first get started. We wanted to provide some tips and ideas to help as you consider how fundraising can assist your family pay for adoption.