My good friend Steve Blizzard sent me this amazing story. It’s Mother’s Day today so it is more than appropriate to share it. You might be able to help Ryan in his quest. Check out Ryan’s YouTube plea. Kirrily Schwarz article is extremely well written so I will let her tell the story.
Ryan Jon has never met his biological mum, but if he ever came face-to-face with her the first thing he would say to her is “thank you”. The Canberra radio presenter is, in his own words, best known for “stupid calls, fun topics and talking about the news of the day” with co-host Tanya Hennessy on Canberra’s Hit 104.7 breakfast show.
He posted a heartfelt video to Facebook ahead of Mother’s Day on Sunday, talking about his adoption and how grateful he is for her decision to give him up.
“I think a lot of people were surprised that someone they think is a bit of a d*ckhead has a story like this,” he told news.com.au.
Ryan was born in 1987, and was adopted when he was just six weeks old.
His parents, Mandy and Rod, had been unable to conceive, and he explained that one day they simply got a phone call that said: “There’s a baby here, come and pick him up tomorrow”.
Watch Ryan Jon’s emotive Thank You!
He grew up as an only child in the Melbourne suburb of Eltham, and said he’s incredibly grateful for the way things have panned out.
“My parents were told they wouldn’t have children but now they’re my mum and dad. They’re awesome, they’ve given me a great life and I’ll love them forever.”
He told news.com.au he knows many women experience guilt after giving their babies up for adoption, and some adopted children feel abandoned, but he made it clear adoption was the best thing that could have happened to him.
“I don’t really know what it was like in 1987, but now if someone gets pregnant and doesn’t want to have a baby, they just don’t have a baby. The odds of me being born and having great parents was pretty slim, so I’m just lucky I guess,” he said.
Ryan doesn’t know much about his birth mother, Julie, except the little bit she explained in a letter she left with him.
She was living in a share house and when she fell pregnant unexpectedly, and wrote to him she simply didn’t have the maturity to be a great mum.
“She sort of implies that she didn’t have the best upbringing and she wanted to make sure that her child had every opportunity available, so she thought the best thing to do would be to give me up for adoption,” he said in the video.
He’s curious to know more about her, and since he’s turning 30 this year he told news.com.au he wanted to put the message out there before it’s too late.
“About this time last year I was a bit unwell, and the first thing that happens when you go to this doctor is they’ll ask about your medical history.
“My answer is well, I have no idea.”
In the video, he explained while he’d love to look his birth mother in the eye and tell her how grateful he is, one thing is holding him back: “I’m scared that I might go looking for someone who might not necessarily want to be found.”
He’s realistic about the fact that she might have moved on.
“She wasn’t quite ready to be a mother when she had me but I hope that she grew up, met someone, got married, and has a family of their (sic) own,” he explained.
“Her husband might not know about me, her new kids — who would be my half-brothers and sisters — they might not know I exist either. I don’t want to be the skeleton in the closet.”
Ryan’s adoptive mum Mandy, right, has been a pillar of strength in his life.
Ryan’s adoptive mum, Mandy, understands why he’s looking.
“She said that it’s only natural that I’m curious, and that whatever happens between me and my birth mother won’t affect our relationship,” he said.
“Even though she didn’t give birth to me, she’s my mum.”
His parents got divorced when he was young, and although he still keeps in touch with his dad, he said it growing up it was just him and his mum.
It’s hard being away from her on Mother’s Day.
“It sucks, especially this week, but working in the media you have to go where the jobs are. I actually probably won’t see her. I’ll send some flowers, I think.”
Ryan Talking to His Adoptive Mother
When it comes to his work on the radio, Ryan told news.com.au he only starts a story when he knows where it will end.
In this instance, he said he just wanted to see what would happen.
“(There have been) a lot of mums who have given up their kids saying thank you, because they’ve always wondered. They say the fact that I think this has given them hope, and it’s nice to hear. A lot say it’s given them something to be grateful for.”
Ryan Jon hosts ‘Ryan & Tanya’ on Hit104.7 in Canberra on weekdays and 2DayFM Sydney on weekends. You can follow him on Facebook.
Lovework
What a great day to celebrate our own mother and the mother to our children. Make sure you watch Ryan Jon’s video above, and also watch this thought provoking short video about thanking mothers. Get you wife and your children to watch it too. Your wife will love you for it! Let’s learn from Ryan to appreciate our mothers and teach our children to do the same. What more can we say than THANK YOU MUM!
Yours for more ‘Thank You’s
Warwick Marsh
PS: This week is a big week. We are embarking on a tour to promote Humble Hope which is a feature documentary about Child Sexual Abuse. Yours truly is the executive director. This 69 minute film, of hope and healing, has been recognized with six international film festival awards including the prestigious Hollywood International Independent Documentary Award. If you are in the area please come along or tell your friends who live in those places. The ‘Healing the Broken Heart’ Tour starts in Canowindra on 15 May, Bourke 16 May, Moree 17 May, Gold Coast 18 May and Newcastle 19 May 2017.
We have a goal to raise finance to develop much needed resources by offering free fundraising pre-screenings in NSW and southern Queensland. In Australia one in four women and one in six men are victims of child sexual abuse. That means five million Australians need access to the resources that Humble Hope aims to provide. That is why we are conducting the ‘Healing the Broken Heart’ Tour. The mission of Humble Hope is to stop child sexual abuse and in Jesus name and bring hope and healing to sexual abuse survivors. We invite you to attend a FREE Humble Hope Pre- Screening Fundraising Dinner in your area.
You must book in advance through: www.humblehope.eventbrite.com.au
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