Albany, New York resident, Jonathan Richmond, was placed in foster care at birth and lived as a foster child for six months before being adopted. Jonathan had an older sister who he says was his best friend. But when she died at a young age, Jonathan began to feel alone. That hole got bigger when his adoptive mother gave birth to a baby and he felt pushed aside. “I felt like an orphan,” Jonathan said.
Thus began Jonathan’s search for his roots. His search led to his foster parents and a very joyful reunion with them. Together, Jonathan and his foster parents searched for his birth parents. He also posted all the information he could gather about his birth mother and posted it on Facebook, asking for help in locating her.
Together with the news channel and Facebook supporters, after nine years of searching, Jonathan found his birth mother. With great satisfaction and gratitude, Jonathan posted the following: “On Tuesday night I located my birth mother. I am not ready to discuss her situation. But when I set out on this goal I was determined to find out her name, a face, and if she was alive. I completed that with the help of so many! I am not sure I am ready to jump into a relationship. There are a lot of things that make that complicated. I am okay with how far I have gotten and the closure and completeness that consumes me. However, no matter the outcome between her and I, I am super excited to announce that I have a 23-year-old sister named Victoria. She is beautiful, smart, and has a very good head on her shoulders. I am the uncle of her 4-year-old son and the soon-to-be-uncle of her daughter Sophia, who will be here in two months. I am so excited to grow close to Victoria and her kids. I am even more excited for her to feel the love that so many of you have given me over the years. I am on cloud 9 at the moment. I, for once in my life, feel so complete and very light on my feet. Once again, many thanks to all of those who helped, prayed, and pushed me. A huge thank you to NewsChannel 13 as well. Without you sharing my story, I wouldn’t have gotten the answers I needed. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!”
