Coming Full Circle: Building Forever Families for Children
Born in 1993, Yann lived the first three months of his life at the Child Care Home operated by Mother Choice and supported by The Community Chest of Hong Kong. Yann was adopted by a Frenchman and his Malaysian Chinese wife, who were living in Hong Kong at that time and had an older daughter of their own.
Despite having a loving adoptive family, there were challenges along the way. “It was very obvious from a young age for me that I looked different, and I had to deal with that in many different ways. It was a struggle for me until very recently,” Yann said. “Adoption on one hand is definitely a very happy event. It’s a family forming and new bonds being formed. But with those new bonds, on the other side, there is also loss that needs to be accepted. There’s a loss from the birth mother and the birth son or daughter,” Yann noted.
When Yann turned 18 and about to go abroad for university, his adoptive parents gave a letter to him from his birth mom. The letter explained why she chose adoption for him. “She was 16 and unmarried,” Yann continued. “She wrote, ‘I’m very sorry. I really do not want to leave you. It’s because I wish you can have a happier and more stable family life.’” Yann remembered weeping for hours after reading that his birth mom had loved and wanted the best for him.
When Yann moved back to Hong Kong in 2017, he had a friend who wanted to volunteer at Mother’s Choice and that prompted him to declare that he was actually from Mother’s Choice. “I think subconsciously I always wanted to explore my adoption but I never had the outlet or courage to do it,” Yann reflected.
In 2019, together with his best friend who is also an adoptee, they started a small group of adoptees. Today, there are over 30 people spread in Hong Kong and all over the world who would meet up casually and regularly each month for dinner. “That gathering is a space for adoptees to fully express themselves in a safe space and to feel heard and understood. It’s a beautiful group!” Yann commented. He wished that in his struggling times, that there was a group where he would feel comfortable to talk to others like him about his adoption experience.
Yann is now serving on the Adoption Committee at Mother’s Choice, and he’s speaking in and representing each and every one of these children who are waiting for an adoptive family. “Mother’s Choice was my home for the first three months of my life. Mother’s Choice took care of me as a child, and I want to give back as much as I can to Mother’s Choice and the community. For me, it’s really come full circle!” Yann added.
Subvented by The Community Chest of Hong Kong, Mother Choice’s Child Care Home provides professional and nurturing care for infants up until age 6. Through this service, these infants who are waiting for adoption can grow up healthy.
