KCSL Adoption Booklet

Mark Schultz
The greatest gift ever
was adopted at two weeks old from
Kansas Children’s Service League in 1978.
I jokingly say it was the hardest two weeks of
my life, with all the paperwork. It was also
the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I
got two wonderful parents and a brother and
sister. I also received the life experiences and
opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.
As a recording artist I’ve traveled the
world performing for audiences. I’ve married
a beautiful amazing woman, and now I even
have a son of my own.
Being an adopted child has shaped every
aspect of my life in very positive ways. I have
always been so grateful for my birth mom who
made a decision for me before I knew what a
decision was. Rather than have an abortion or
try to raise me without the appropriate means
and resources, she gave me the chance to
have the life I’ve had now.
One of my songs, “Everything to Me,”
describes the gratitude that I have for her unselfish
decision:
“But you had dreams for me/ You wanted the
best for me/ and you made the only choice
The
1980s
you could
that night.
So if you
worry if your choice was right/ When you
gave me up, oh you gave everything to me.”
Looking into my son’s eyes for the first time
and hearing his laugh, I was overcome with
emotion as I realized this was the first blood
relative I’d ever met. It also made me even
more thankful for the decision that was made
for me so many years ago. Holding my son in
my arms and now watching him take his first
steps would never have been possible without
my birth mom’s courage. I hope that when she
hears this song she knows that her choice was
not a mistake but the greatest gift she could
have ever given me.
In honor of the decision that my birth parents
made and also because of the experiences I’ve
had being adopted and now being an adoption
advocate, my wife and I are in the process
of adopting a child ourselves. I can’t wait until
we’re all in heaven and my birth mom can see
how what she did changed my life and left a
legacy for future generations.
The Stigers
A really “Good Friday”
y husband and I had a son in 1975.
Three years later, after months of trying
for another pregnancy, we discovered that we
were infertile. A year of drug therapy and a
varicocelectomy brought no pregnancy, so we
turned to adoption.
We worked with another agency for over a
year and a half, but babies were in short supply.
Somehow, we heard of KCSL and decided
to attend a group session of prospective parents.
We decided at the end of the session to
stop working with the other agency and start
working with KCSL.
To improve our chances, we opened ourselves
to the possibility of getting a child, not just an
infant. We were willing to accept a child with
disabilities. A mere six months later, in 1983,
we got a call about a five month old girl in
Wichita!
The following week, on Holy Thursday, we
drove to Wichita to see our new daughter
Emily. We brought her home on Good Friday
and truly had a blessed Easter.
Emily will be 30 years old in October and is a
beautiful, young woman. She is a proud aunt
to her brother’s son and her birth sister’s three
sons. She earned a Bachelors of Arts from the
University of Kansas and currently works for
the state. We cannot imagine our lives without
Emily!
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