We Adopted a Little Girl – on Her 5th Birthday, Her Biological Mother Showed Up to Reveal a Shocking Truth About Her
After years of infertility, my husband and I adopted a little girl named Sophie. By the time she turned five, it felt like she’d always been ours. She slept with the hall light on, apologized for everything, and hugged us like she was afraid we might disappear.
Her fifth birthday was perfect — yellow balloons, sunflower cake, kids everywhere.
Then there was a knock at the door.
A woman stood on our porch and said, “I’m Sophie’s biological mother. And you need to know a terrible secret about her.”
She told us that when Sophie was a baby, doctors found abnormal blood cells and mentioned leukemia. She never told the agency. She was afraid no one would adopt her if they knew.
Then she said she wanted compensation.
We told her no and closed the door.
The next morning, we took Sophie to the doctor.
The tests confirmed it — early-stage leukemia. But it was slow-moving, and we caught it in time.
Chemo started right away.
We slept in hospital chairs. Watched cartoons at 3 a.m. Learned which nurses found veins best. Sophie lost her hair but never her spirit.
“My blood is having a war,” she told us. “The good guys are winning.”
Months later, the doctor smiled and said, “She’s in remission.”
Sophie asked, “Did I win?”
“Yes,” the doctor said. “You did.”
I didn’t carry her.
But when it got hard — unimaginably hard — we stayed.
And that’s what makes her ours.
