We’ve all heard stories that will be engraved in our memories forever — ones we’ve been told so many times, we can retell them in the deepest of slumbers.

I have a lot of those stories, but the one that really hits home for me is how — and why — I was adopted from Seoul, Korea.

I was found abandoned on the street, but my birth mother knew enough to take me to a police station with a note asking for me to be placed with a family who could provide for me.

I never knew my birth mother — and still don’t have any way of contacting her — but my parents of 40-plus years have told me that she presumably didn’t have proper prenatal care because I had a crude birth. If she had access to a hospital, my Cerebral Palsy might have been prevented. Cerebral Palsy is a neurological disorder that varies from severe to mild, depending on the individual. It can affect body movement and muscle coordination. I could have acquired this simply by a temperature change during birth.

There’s a laundry list of unfortunate things happening in the world right now. My Cerebral Palsy and being adopted will not be added to that list because quite honestly, they’re the opposite of unfortunate.

They give me opportunities to raise awareness about two things that provide the backdrop for my story. Not only that, but adoption itself is a story within a story and with every adoptee comes a different story.

The fact that my birth mother didn’t just leave me on the street to die is a true testament to being selfless. She put my well-being ahead of her own, not knowing if I’d make a good fighter when I grew up.

My adoptive parents feel that any birth mother who is not able to raise their child and places them up for adoption, allowing families who are unable to conceive their own children an opportunity to raise their child, the ultimate blessing.

The mother I’ve known all my life has taught me to fight when I hear the word ‘no’ or ‘can’t’ — and my father taught me to appreciate things, even if I don’t particularly like them — not including boys.

My Dad is the one who actually found out about me. He came across a picture of me while reading a newsletter from my older brother’s adoption agency. The picture had a caption that said I had Cerebral Palsy, so he called my Mom, who worked at a specialized infant and preschool at the time, to ask her what

Cerebral Palsy was because he found a cute little girl in an unassuming newsletter.

My two brothers were also adopted. We’ve always been told we were chosen especially for our family and that our parents feel fortunate for having the opportunity to raise us and make a positive impact in our lives.

TJ, my older brother, was also adopted from Korea and has the opportunity to contact his birth mother, even if he chooses not to. If I had that same opportunity, I wouldn’t want to look back. I’m comfortable in my own skin and if my birth mother hadn’t done what she did, I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have now. My life has given me the capacity to share things with others.

When my German

grandfather saw my picture for the first time, he said, “She looks just like me!” He didn’t even have to look at my eyes to call that one. He knew I was special, just because I was me.

My younger brother came along later in life from an abusive home. My Mom has always asked him ‘to put the wall down’ because he knew how to protect himself at an early age. Together we are a united Family. We have our ups and downs, but we love and appreciate each other for what we have and what was given to us.

A happy home is a blessing!

Erin Kelly, 41, was born in Seoul, Korea and lives in Altoona.