Hi! I’m Chantelle. I was adopted from Jiangxi, China, in 1999. I am the youngest of five siblings, all of whom are also adopted. Growing up, I always felt empty and like I was missing something. My siblings would hear their birth mom couldn’t take care of them, while I heard I was abandoned because I was a girl. My parents gave me a happy childhood, though I don’t remember most of it due to PTSD; however, I’m very grateful to them, and they’re still the best parents in the world. I realize how lucky I am to have such incredible parents who were able to love me as their own. I know, unfortunately, that is not always the case.

Growing up in a predominantly white U.S. state, I always hated being Chinese. I remember coming home crying because I wanted to be blonde with blue eyes. It wasn’t until I was 19 years old that I looked more into my homeland. I watched the documentary “One Child Nation,” and it really opened my eyes. While it still hurts, I’m now able to see that my birth mom really didn’t have a choice, and I became more understanding. Now I feel no resentment towards her.

Eventually, all my siblings found their birth families, and I felt alone. I decided to upload my data to GedMatch and heard nothing back. I found a nonprofit that did a birth search in China for me, but I had no luck. I figured it would never happen and began to come to terms with it, then I got a notification: a full sibling match. A couple from the “One Child Nation” documentary called me. They go to China and give DNA tests to searching birth families. I was shocked. It took a while for my birth mom to warm up to me, and they’re still not 100% sure. I’m only in contact with my birth mom and little brother. I learned that my birthday is actually three months later than what the orphanage told me! My birth parents had 5 kids total, and they kept my older sister and younger brother. I have another older sister who was adopted to another village. I also found out I have a twin sister.

The news was shocking, but also not. As I said before, I always felt like I was missing something. Communication with my birth mom is difficult; she can’t read or write, so we rely on voice messages. I use Google Translate and hope the tones are at least close. All in all, it’s a mostly happy ending. I still struggle with my mental health. I think being in an orphanage for the first 6 months of my life kinda messed me up, but I’m grateful to have closure, parents who love me, and a birth mom who is open to getting to know me. I hope someday to find my twin. I have no clue if we’re identical or fraternal. I tried to ask my bio mom, but I butchered it, and she was confused. I have no idea if she’s in the U..S like me or somewhere else.