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Jody Young + Photos for Jamie

I’m so excited to finally share this session with you all! Jody’s story is incredible, so buckle up! This story I’m sharing was written by Jody’s daughter Kaitlin, who nominated her for the session.

“My grandparents had longed for a second child for years. They often recalled the day when a nurse phoned from the hospital announcing “we have a baby for you” with joy and excitement in their voices.  They picked her up that day with very little information about who her birth parents were, but with lots of love to pour on their new daughter.  

My mom knew she was adopted from the time she was young.  She never really considered finding out more about her birth parents until she started having children of her own.  She thought about seeking them out, and tried a couple of times without getting very far.  

Years later, now a grandmother, she began watching a television show where the hosts would assist those who were adopted to seek information about their birth parents.  My sisters and I provided her with the application to be a guest on the show, but my mom is not one who likes the focus to be on herself, so the papers were left incomplete.  

Not long after considering the television show as one of her last options to get some answers, my brother-in-law received a random phone call from a woman in Buffalo, NY asking if he knew someone by the name of Jody Young stating that she may have information about Jody’s mother.  My mom promptly returned the call and found out that the woman, who turned out to be a professional genealogist, indeed had correct information about her birth mother.

At the age of 64, my mom finally learned the name of the woman who brought her into the world; Dorothy.  She discovered that she had a half sister, lots of new relatives and many common characteristics with the woman she never knew.  Unfortunately, Dorothy was already deceased. Part of the information she received regarding Dorothy’s life was the fact that breast cancer was the reason she died.  In fact, Dorothy, her mother, and her grandmother all suffered through the disease until it ultimately took their lives.  

My sisters, my mom and I immediately scheduled mammograms.  Everyone’s scans looked good with the exception of my moms.  She was diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer less than three weeks after receiving that serendipitous phone call. She endured a lumpectomy, multiple rounds of radiation and all of the pains and emotions that are directly and indirectly associated with them.  

However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her birth mother was orchestrating this timeline from heaven.  Because she caught the cancer early, the treatment was relatively short and very successful.  The love that Dorothy displayed by giving her up for adoption at the first of her life was now shining again as my mother’s life was extended.  A mother’s love truly has no limitations. “

Incredible right!?! The timing and all the little decisions made by so many different people, allowed Jody to catch her breast cancer early, and very possibly saved her life! For this session, we included Jody’s husband, daughters, daughter-in-law, and all her granddaughters. Photographing so many strong and beautiful women was so special! I was very touched by this family’s kindness. They wrote me the sweetest card and gave me the most thoughtful gifts. Their generosity brought me to tears and I’m so honored to know them. Thank you all!

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