Meet Julie
Julie Salato is an adult adoptee, who successfully reunited with her birth family, after 35 years of searching. Julie resides in MN, where she is enjoying a relationship with her birth family, while maintaining a close relationship with her adoptive mother and brother. Her search for her story, which spanned thirty-five years, serves as testament to the power of patience, tenacity and love. While not all reunions result in a happy ending, Julie believes that with the right support and resources, and often times, professional intermediary services, these searches can be conducted in a manner which yields a positive outcome and minimizes emotional trauma for all parties involved.
Julie as a thirteen-day-old infant, meeting her adoptive mother for the first time, while adopted brother looks on.
Fifty-four years later, Julie poses with her birthmother, whom Julie has met after three decades of searching.
Julie’s Story…
“I don’t recall when I was told I was adopted. My adoptive parents followed the advice of their social worker, and started introducing the word before I could even grasp the meaning of it. As a result, it feels as if I have always known the unique beginning of my story. Had they not heeded that advice, however, it would have become obvious as soon as I was old enough to look in the mirror. I looked nothing like my strawberry-blonde, adoptive mother. In fact, I would wait thirty-five years before I would look into the eyes of anybody who resembled me. Hours after the birth of my first daughter, I eagerly scanned her face, desperately searching for some resemblance to me. Fortunately, her hazel eyes and crooked smile were dead ringers for my own. It was an incredible feeling to finally embrace another person who shared my DNA, and while this connection certainly filled some of the emptiness I carried within as a result of my separation at birth from my birthmother, it did not diminish my compulsion to find her. It would take almost twenty more years, before I would finally look into the eyes of the woman who gave me life.
My search for my birth family was made difficult by sealed adoption records, an absence of resources and a culture of misunderstanding. Adoptees who searched were often seen as ungrateful by adoptive families and suspect by biological relatives. There was little support, neither psychological nor logistical. Often searchers were armed with only their birthdate and city of birth, and some didn’t even have access to those facts. Adoption databases and search sites emerged in the 80’s and 90’s, as more and more adoptees and often birthparents, sought to connect with their biological family members. However, most adoption records remained sealed and without the consent of a birthparent, identities would remain locked away. In 2012, Ancestry.com launched their new DNA kits, changing the search landscape forever. Armed with the new knowledge of shared DNA and undeniable proof of their lineage, attempts to contact through Facebook, door knocks or poignant letters and phone messages were often met with dismissal, denial or silence, as the recipients of this new information sorted through the complex dynamics created by the unraveling of these secrets. I feel lucky that my story has resulted in a happy ending, and I feel drawn to help others successfully reunite with their own families.”
As a result, Julie founded Yellow Wood Bridge, LLC. Using her diplomacy, communication skills and own experience in searching, Julie began to help others find their own stories. It quickly became apparent that more resources were needed. Julie subsequently began working on a guidebook, “Roadmap to Reunion”, which is scheduled for publication in December of 2024. She also serves as a coach for those needing extra support and resources, as they start reunion journeys of their own!