Donate Now
WestJet Logo
CHOICES is proudly sponsored by West Jet!

CHOICES Families

The following are some families with whom CHOICES has had the pleasure of helping with adoptions from British Columbia.

Colleen & Pete

Adoption was not our second choice, it was the right choice, and it has enriched our lives and our families in so many immeasurable ways. We adopted both our children from British Columbia and are particularly grateful for the mutual openness of the process and the subsequent relationships we now have with both birth parents and their extended families.

Our daughter Charlotte is our little angel and came to us in October of 2003. She was born in Northern British Columbia and is a constant, lively reminder of all that is pure and precious about new life. She has big rosy cheeks, shining blond hair and eyes as big as the moon whose radiance is felt by everyone she encounters. Her inner spirit and curiosity about life is a constant blessing in our lives. Despite the fact our adoption journey had a few twists and turns, in the end we all grew and learned to treasure the importance of all life's experiences. Nothing compares with the precious moment when your child is placed in your arms and your eyes meet for the first time.

We were pleased to be able to meet Charlotte's birth mom the night before we adopted our daughter. We knew then both our lives would never be the same again so strong was the connection felt between us. Our "tummy mommy" as we call her gave us the most important of all gifts, the gift of life, and we marvel at her courage and strength, and consider her an important part of our lives. She has visited us a few times and we value her presence in our lives. She has also been very supportive of our desire for another child, a sibling for Charlotte, and her understanding has been much appreciated.

This June we received wonderful news about the possibility of another child in our lives. This journey was different in that the birth parents lived in our own community and wanted to meet us before the actual delivery. Emotions were understandably intense as we all experienced the excitement, nervousness and anxiety of what lay ahead. The initial meeting with the birth parents and their extended family was more than we could have asked for and as the time for delivery drew near we met again and introduced Charlotte to them. Three days later we received the call that a healthy baby boy had arrived and we rushed to meet him at the hospital. Everyone was delighted with the new arrival and needless to say there were many tears, both of joy and apprehension. The cameras were working overtime as both birth parent families and ourselves recorded the wonderful event. Our new son Oliver will always know how much he was loved by all his family on the wonderful day he was born and on the day we took him home.

The homefront is frantic at times with "two under two" but we would not change a thing about our precious gifts. We have already met with Oliver's birth parents once and look forward to seeing them again in December. Charlotte is thrilled to have a baby brother and she can't stop kissing him. We know the feeling. During the Christmas time we also hope to see Charlotte's birth Mom.

Being able to adopt our two children has made all our dreams come true and we are so blessed to know how loved our children are by so many people and we will nurture that love all our lives. Charlotte and Oliver will no doubt reap the benefits of this wide circle of love in years to come. What more could a parent ask! Choices sustained, guided and nurtured us throughout the adoption journey and their support has been heartfelt.

Marusha, Bruce and Willem

You can contact Marusha & Bruce at marusha@shaw.ca if you have any questions about their adoption experience.