Alone. Abandoned. Deserted. At any given time, there are 500,000 children in the U.S. foster care system. Could you imagine what it would be like? A girl once lived through this system. It was over 8 years ago, yet she can still remember what it was like living through this. By the age of three, she had been in nine foster homes throughout Pittsburgh. She was no longer considered a “baby,” and that is what most people want. Couples don’t want “older” children. That makes it very difficult to be adopted.

In Mckeesport, Pennsylvania there is a foster care center called Auberle. Most of the children who live here do not get adopted. This girl was close to being sent there, but was adopted at the age of six.

She rarely tells the story of her adoption. Everytime she tries she bursts out crying. Some people believe she was adopted because her mom didn’t love her, or didn’t want her. Others think she was abused. But the truth on her adoption is that her mother loved her and her siblings very much. Her mother didn’t want to see them struggle, and wanted them to have a pleasant childhood and adulthood. This girl had a rough childhood until she was adopted. She got very little to eat, and her father was never around. Her biological father had another family that he cared for. She remembers that one Christmas the social worker bought her many presents. Her father took them away and gave them to his other children. She was very hurt by his actions. This girl's mother had six children, they were adopted in pairs. The two eldest children were adopted by the mother’s sister, a thirteen and a ten year old were adopted as soon as they were born, a twelve year old was adopted with his older sister, who is now fourteen.

The two eldest live in Ohio, one is 18 and one is 17. They no longer live with the mother’s sister; they were poor most of their lives. The thirteen and the ten year old live in West Newton, Pennsylvania. In a wonderful home filled with with tons of love. They live with two other children, both were adopted. The fourteen and the twelve year old live in Fox Chapel. Her biological mother now lives in California with two children. Her biological father lives in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania with four children. This girl has 11 siblings. This girl wishes she could see her siblings more often. She has met her older siblings two or three times since she was adopted.  She sees her younger siblings two or three times a year. She used to have visits with her biological parents, but that ended when she was eight. She wonders what life would be like living with a different family, or even in Auberle. She wonders what it would be like living with her biological parents, or even one of them since they were never married.

Alone. Abandoned. Deserted. At any given time, there are 500,000 children in the U.S. foster care system. A girl once lived through this system. This girl is me.