The Question I Often Get : WHY?

 Why was I adopted? 

Many should be aware of the uprise in hard cold drug usage everywhere, especially here on the range. If you have heard of the Iron Range, you probably heard ‘drugs’ in that same conversation. The realty of the difficult lives here on the range only become more real hearing from an individual who has had to suffer through the real challenges of living on the Iron Range. This is the story on how the use of substances caused my adoption

My biological mother Jamie Elaine Olson is an example of how it starts and how it can be beat but its easier said than done. When she was in her mid teens she started her journey with just being curious about Methamphetamine after being on Adderall for her ADHD. There being a more intense feeling, she became obsessed with wanting that same high she got the first time. This lead to the extreme amounts used of other drugs too along with alcohol. For almost twenty years she actively fought the need of chemical substance usage.

When she was 19 she found out she was pregnant with me Jana and quit for awhile. she stayed clean for me and a couple years later had my little brother Zachery. A year later our parents got married and soon after that she went down the path again. Her friend just wanted a smoking buddy and Jamie said yes for just what she said would be one time. Soon she was using it nightly, then daily, and soon she was so hooked again nothing else mattered. She lost custody of us children in late 2009. She got clean for a year but all the stress and pain, it became too much and she started back up forever loosing the chance to get us back. 

For about eight years she continually abused her body with any drug she could get her finger tips on. The whole family practically lost connection with her and she relied on her ‘friends’ to protect and help her. This lead to many abusive relationships that were based on drugs and sex. During this time she had seven to nine miscarriages before meeting her, at the time, boyfriend's cousin. Soon they were pregnant with a little girl Emily Drift who was born on March 26, 2016 and then on July 16,2017 gave birth to a little boy William Drift,Jr. 

About a month after William was born, the two were taken away for the use of illegal drug use around them. Jamie, our mom stayed clean during this time but the kids father William’s mom mixed meth in Emily’s food causing her to be hospitalized. To this day, they are still fighting for the kids, but soon a decision will be made by court what is to happen with Emily who is now three and William who is now two years old. Truth is our mother is clean and doing everything to get them back but their father is struggling like she did when she lost Zach and I fourteen years ago. 

Now me being older and on my own I have chosen a relationship with her. There are many more who have had to live through the same consequences. Many children do not go back and if they do they are not as lucky as I have been. Yes, it is hard. There will always be that lost of time that will always low key be remembered. It is not as easy to come back to what was your family fourteen years ago now is just a group of people with shared blood. Are we close? Yes, we have become closer than ever imagined. I am proud of how far she has come since those many years ago when she lost sight of what was important.