Susan Tucker makes family a priority because for decades she didn't know who they were.
“The sense of not belonging is a hard one,” said Tucker.
Adopted at age five, when she later turned 18 she hoped to find her birth family,
But with adoption records sealed, she had to take matters into her own hands.
Manitoba legislation changes taking effect soon mean others won't have to.
“I think that's better. They have the choice of knowing what they want to know,” said Tucker.
This June, all adult adoptees and birth parents will have the chance to access birth records.
The organizer of a support network for people trying to find their family suggests getting a head start.
“They're going to be flooded with applications I’m sure come June, but they're taking names in advance,” said Roy Kading with Links Adoption Support.
Kading said the clock is also ticking for those who want to protect their information before records open.
“We've had cases where the birth father was a pedophile. The adoptee did not want any contact,” said Kading.
In those cases, people can apply for what's called a disclosure veto.
For Tucker, three years of searching revealed her family, thanks to the little information given to her adopted parents.
“It was the best feeling in the world and whenever me and my brothers and sisters get together it's just a cool feeling, because I spent 20 years without them but I found them.”
A connection that soon may be easier to make.
More information on the adoption registry is available online.
