Our names. We all have them. Sometimes we keep them. Sometimes we change them and sometimes they are changed for us. There is also the rare occasion people call us the wrong name and it’s just a mistake of their memory. Maybe I look like a Sarah? I remembered wanting a nickname, so I created one for myself and asked my friends to call me by it. They did. Many times with adoption names are changed as well. This was the case with Summer Heacock.
First, you need to know that Summer is often called something else entirely.
Spooky, right? When even the man you’re married to can’t remember your name, something’s up.
Ah, but there’s more. Summer was just a randomly assigned name at her temporary home, and it sounds like her new family just ran with it.
For 37 years, her own story has been kept away from her. Until now.
Summer was adopted as a baby to a wonderful family who loved her very much. She was given her name from her family and didn’t know her true name as a baby. There seemed to be a common mistake of people not remembering her lovely name or calling her Heather on accident. She never understood why but she thought it was really odd. It followed her most of her life. Why Heather?
At 37 years of age, she received a message through social media asking if she was adopted. It was her half-siblings looking to find her.
She shared the news with friends on her social media profile.
“So. Out of NOWHERE, about two weeks ago I got a message on Facebook from someone asking if I’d been put up for adoption in June 1981.”
Through a series of messages, she was able to connect with her family. She ended up meeting them in person and learning lots of things about her background and parents. It was great.
She decided to ask if they knew her birth name.
Her post read:
“Our second-day together, I was like. “OH HEY DO YOU KNOW THE RANDOM BABY NAME??????”
“It. Was. HEATHER,” she posted.
Summer was completely surprised and even saw her original birth certificate to confirm it.
How would you feel if this happened to you? Scared? Relieved? Validated?
