My Life in Overview

I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 21, 1944 and was taken from the hospital and raised by a woman I still call mom. I never knew that she was not my real mother until I turned 18-years-old and had to sign-up for the draft. At that time my mom told me and my girl friend, Sharon (now my wife of 35 years) that I needed to get a name change as she was not my real mother. Well when you are 18 and raised the way I had been raised, this does not affect your life that much. We had the legal name change and went about business as usual.

There were times later in years that my wife Sharon and I would talk of taking a trip to Milwaukee and trying to find my biological parents. I did have their names; that was about as far as it would get, because I just couldn't bring myself to do such a thing, afraid that it would hurt my mom and dad. So things just kinda hung there for all these years. 

Then, in the early 90's my mom had stroke and was in and out of a rest home for several years, before passing away in January of 1999. In the years that mom was sick, things just broke down with the dad and there was no contact at all towards the end. This has and always will bother me. 

It was along about this time that my oldest daughter left a search tape at our house and I happened to watch it one day. From the tape that I only watched long enough to see that the power of the computer was the tool to use. I went to my computer and pounded out a faxed letter to a friend in California, Doug & Vivian Johnson, giving them the information that I had on my real mother and fathers name. Vivian wrote back to tell me that she had posted my information on a site called news groups for adoption. That was Thursday, February 15th 1996 and the rest of this story is still amazing to me.

As it turned out, Diane Ritt was on the net that day and happened to catch my information as it came on. She called and offered hers and Mary's service's . I don't know how I could have been so lucky to get the right people to go to work for me, but they did and what a team they are. In just a short time Diane and Mary of I.C.A.R.E. had located my birth mother and had informed that I had three brothers and a sister. What a thing to learn when you are 51-years-old. I can not begin to describe that feeling.

Diane and Mary not only found My mother they stayed with me for the year that it took to finally make contact with my siblings. The reason that this took so long is my fault I just could not be pushy about contacting my mother I wanted it to be her idea (that was a mistake that I will never forgive myself for). Unfortunately mother passed away before I made contact .

Everything got put on hold till February 19,1997 when Diane helped me make contact with my sister and the rest has been nothing but good. My new found family was quick to respond and we have a very good relationship. We visit quite often both by mail and phone and there have been several visits. 

Since then Mary has located my real father and I have made contact with a sister on that side of the family. My father had also passed away before I found him. As of this day, the story is still unfolding. I now have five brothers and two sisters and a lot of aunts and uncles. Of all the new found family, I have made contact with all but one sister and one brother. I hope to have contact with them, but it is going to take some time.

I can not say enough about Mary and Diane - they are the real deal. 

     Thank You Mary & Diane,
     Russel & Sharon Mlika