Janet Sherlund – Abandoned at Birth

Janet Sherlund chronicles her life as an adopted child. Being adopted made her feel as though she was living a “borrowed life,” undermined her sense of trust and personal value, and impacted every decision she made. It also led to a lifelong quest to find her biological mother, with the hope of finally feeling a tether to this world, a sense of belonging, and ultimately, herself. Adoption is often painted as a happy, inspirational act - a baby finds a family and lives happily ever after. But the truth is that adopted children experience displacement and rupture from their mothers, which can affect them for lifetimes and can result in depression, behavioral issues, anger, anxiety, PTSD, higher suicide rates, and more. Adoption is a trauma and a lifelong journey that is often overlooked and not honestly talked about. She raised her family and served on nonprofit boards in education, health, and the cultural arts before writing her memoir Abandoned at Birth. Her single most significant life event was being given up for adoption at birth. Her memoir fulfills a lifelong dream of becoming a published author, as well as raising awareness about loss and grief in adoption, and why it takes more than love to survive that trauma. A graduate of Colgate University, Janet lives on Nantucket Island off the Massachusetts coast with Rick, her husband of 45 years. You can learn more about Janet at https://www.abandonedatbirthbook.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/janetsherlundofficial/.