Hello, my name is Lee.
It has always been my dream to be a parent. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I am ready to share my love, wisdom, and everything I have with a child. I look forward to meeting and getting to know you. I will be respectful towards your wishes and want to be supportive during this uncertain time. As you read about me, my hope is that you would like to get to know me better as well.
About me
I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and I have a brother and a sister. My mom is a retired art teacher who lives nearby in the house that I grew up in. She is very excited to become a grandmother. My father was an architect. My parents exposed us kids to art and architecture so music and the arts have always been an important part of my life. From an early age to this day, my mom and I have spent a lot of time seeing live jazz music. While in college I was a DJ and for many years I was a member of my church's gospel choir. I also perform occasionally as a poet.
My parents emphasized the importance of education and I worked hard in school. I played softball, soccer and later joined the cross-country running team. I love everything that has to do with boats and the water and I participated in rowing in both high school and in college. I was candidate for the US National Rowing team and an Olympic hopeful. After college graduation, I worked as a medical assistant while I took care of my father during his battle with cancer. The experience of caring for my dad inspired me to become a doctor. After graduating medical school in San Francisco, I was fortunate to complete my training at Harvard Medical School.
I then returned home to the SF Bay Area and have been focusing my practice on spine, sports and pain medicine. I am also in the process of building a wellness practice where I provide nutrition and exercise counseling, as well as perform medical acupuncture. My work is rewarding because every day I get to help others as I strive to relieve my patients of pain and work with them to create a healthy lifestyle. Because I believe strongly in service and giving back to my community, I am a volunteer doctor at a free clinic for injured dancers. 
I also work internationally doing medical mission work, and just returned from a trip to Honduras.
My family and friends
Family is very important to me. I am very close to my mother and stepmother and both of my siblings. My sister wants to have children soon as well and I look forward to our kids growing up together. Because I live in the area where I grew up, I have many very close friends, whom I consider as my extended family. Many of them have children, including several adopted children. I am very involved in my local church where there are kids of all ages and ethnicities and come from all kinds of family backgrounds. My extended family lives in the Seattle, Washington area and they cannot wait to go on summer camping and fishing trips together. My family and friends have supported me during my adoption journey, knowing how much I want to be a parent. They have encouraged me with their love, prayers and offers of support. A child that becomes part of my family will be surrounded by unconditional love. 
Although I am single now, I hope to one day expand my family even more and find a loving partner and hopefully adopt a second child.
My Home and Community
I live in a quiet neighborhood in San Francisco with my lovable cat, Maddie. My home has a large backyard and vegetable garden. My neighborhood has many parks frequented by local families. Golden Gate Park and the beach are minutes away. Wonderful museums such as The California Academy of Sciences and the Exploratorium are also nearby. Out of town trips are easy for camping and skiing. The San Francisco Bay Area has some of the best schools in the country to provide a child with an excellent education. My church is an important part of my weekly life. I look forward to bringing a child into a welcoming, diverse spiritual community.
Hopes and Dreams
My plan is to work part-time and my mom will take care of the baby while I am at work. I believe that raising a child and being a parent will be the most rewarding and meaningful responsibility I will ever have. I am excited and prepared to offer a child the world. When the child is old enough, I hope to travel together and expose a child to different cultures and experiences. I will give a child the emotional, spiritual and loving support necessary for a child to become a happy, healthy, loving and responsible adult. I will pay close attention to a child's special interests and strengths are, so that I can encourage and support him or her to grow in those areas.
In Closing
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I hope my letter helps you picture what kind of parent I will be. In choosing me as an adoptive parent, I will provide a healthy, happy, and loving home. I also strongly believe that children should stay connected to their biological parents and I am very open to talking about how best to maintain a healthy ongoing relationship.
If you would like to reach me please feel free to call my friendly adoption attorney, Susan Romer, at 1.800.U.ADOPT.US (1.800.823.6788) or email to adamsromer@aol.com.
Best wishes,
Lee
A Portrait of Lee, from her Mom
In life always
Caring and compassionate
A daughter to be proud of
A people person with deep friendships
Present for her family always
Passionate about issues in the world
Wanting to make the world a better place
So hardworking, so focused
And yet, so fun, so spirited, so light-hearted, so creative
Understanding how deeply connected we all are
Even in our diversity
Lee as a mother
So natural, so much love to give
She understands the meaning of family
The portrait of my daughter.
---Her loving mom, Sally
Art Teacher, Berkeley High School.
