I made a shocking discovery at 14 when I stumbled across secret documents
A YOUNG woman accidentally made a shocking discovery about her family life.
She came across the information when she stumbled upon hidden documents during a move.
Jessica Murace, now 20, was 14 when her family decided to move house in 2018.
She explained that she had always felt as if she “didn’t fit in” when she was growing up.
However, it wasn’t until she had the unexpected revelation that she knew the reason why.
Jessica recalled how the kids at her school would often make comments assuming she was adopted – as they said she didn’t look similar to her parents.
And as it turns out, they were right.
“I grew up not knowing I was adopted, but I always felt different, like I didn’t quite fit in,” she explained.
Jessica had previously suspected she was adopted as a baby and now she had the social services documents to prove it.
Jessica grew up in Manchester with her adoptive family after being placed in foster care by social services.
When her family moved house she discovered a book made by social services which informs an adoptee of their story – which she had never seen before.
“Inside there were pictures of children, and one looked like me,” she said.
“That’s how I discovered the truth through social services documents, as a 14-year-old it was overwhelming.”
Jessica kept the revelation to herself at first – grappling with feelings of shock and distress – and didn’t tell her parents that she had discovered the document.
“I cried a lot, it was a very lonely time, especially as I felt like I couldn’t talk to my adoptive parents about it,” she recalled.
“It is hard for us to talk about, but it was a selfish to keep it from her, and we do regret it so much and live with it every day,” her parents Gillian and Pietro said.
“We love her so much and just didn’t want her to push us away.”
How does adoption work?
In the UK, there is lengthy process involved with adopting a child and it can take up to six months for the paperwork to be finalised.
To even be considered, you have to meet the following criteria:
- You must be over 21
- You must be a legal resident of the UK for at least 12 months.
- No criminal convictions – especially any related to the endangerment of children. This applies to everyone your household.
You will also have to go through an inital background check and assesment, which will consider whether you are the right fit for adoption.
Potenital parents will also have undergo training and a process to match them with the right child.
They had initially told Jessica she was adopted when she was five but forgot about what she had been told.
She asked her adoptive parents if she was adopted later in life, but they denied she was as they did not want it to negatively impact their daughter.
But it wasn’t just her parentage that Jessica discovered in the documents.
She was shocked to learn she had five biological siblings after seeing their photos in the social services book.
Jessica looked up Heather, 25, John, 24, Katy, 22, Nicole, 21, and her late brother William, who died last year aged 18, on social media.
She initially didn’t tell her adoptive parents what she had discovered until she decided to reach out to try and make plans to meet.
After tracking them down on Instagram, she came across a group photo of her siblings when she was 14.
The siblings then all met up in Birmingham in April 2019 in a “surreal” and “emotional” reunion after 15 years apart.
Jess now sees her brothers and sisters several times a year and says finding them has been “life-changing”.
“Finding my siblings has been life-changing – it hasn’t always been easy, but I’m happy I’ve met them. It’s given me a chance to know who I really am,” she said.
“It was surreal. For the first time, I saw people who looked like me, it was completely overwhelming.”
The luxury retail worker recalled the nerve-wrecking process of reaching out to her long lost siblings.
“I just messaged them saying: ‘Hey, I think I’m your sister’ and they asked me to prove it to make sure it wasn’t someone pretending – so I sent personal information over and birth certificate,” she said.
Jessica and her siblings agreed to meet up with both sets of adoptive parents – meeting halfway in a restaurant in Birmingham.
“My emotions were mainly shock. I’m not usually much of an emotional person, I didn’t really know what to say,” she recalled.
“It was just weird seeing them look so much like them. I saw me in them.”
Jessica has since built a relationship with her siblings, visiting them several times a year and says it finally feels like they are really brothers and sisters.
Jessica emphasises the importance of honesty about adoption, and believes that being honest with children about their beginnings is important.
“When I found out, I had a massive identity crisis, it felt like my life was a lie,” she said.
“But I don’t regret discovering the truth.”
Jessica says the discovery has helped her understand why she always felt a deeper connection was missing.
“I am looking forward to building on our relationship,” she concluded.