Dear Mom,

Thank you for letting me visit with you while I was up in Portland. I�m sorry we didn�t call first but I was not sure you would want to see me and phones make me uncomfortable.

I really hope the chemo. helps you and I pray that you get better.

There is something that I wanted you to know and there is no way to lead up to it so I will just say it. I know that a big part of me being adopted is so I would not be exposed to some of the things that were part of your life at that time. I really, truly appreciate that. I know I ended up choosing a similar path when it comes to homelessness and a few vices I have now overcome but I respect what you did and that respect has probably saved my life. Living on the streets, I have watched a lot of my friends turn to drugs and quite a few of them are junkies. I have lost many friends to overdose and other risks related to heroin. I know myself pretty well and I am positive that if it weren�t for the respect I have for your decision to have me adopted, I would have fallen into the same trap and would be strung out like most of my friends. Or dead.

I just wanted to thank you for making that hard decision when I was young. Really, it saved my life!

I hope you get better and I am very grateful for all you have done for me.

Sincerely,
Jen O cide