by Hana Crisp | May 6, 2026 | Personal Stories
By Lakshmi Cashmore, intercountry adoptee I don’t look like anyone I know. It lands deeper than people realise. It’s in the small moments, catching your reflection, not knowing where your smile came from, not knowing where your dark eyed gaze comes from and when you...
by Hana Crisp | Apr 8, 2026 | Personal Stories, Resources
By Cheyne Bull, adoptee It was June 2020 and I was working in a frontline homeless service in the middle of a pandemic. My team were doing ‘fun’ activities each week to keep us connected and lighten the stress of our work. For this week’s activity, we each had to do a...
by Hana Crisp | Jan 22, 2026 | Personal Stories, Resources
By Chris Sargaent, adoptee I came to VANISH’s peer support group not looking for comfort, but for clarity. I’m 60 now. After nearly two years of therapy working through adoption trauma and the patterns of self-sabotage it created, I needed to hear from...
by Hana Crisp | Nov 19, 2025 | Personal Stories
By Mousumi Oliver, intercountry adoptee from India Hi, my name is Mousumi, and I was born on the 17th of September, 1995, in Kolkata, India. When I was just six years old, my world turned upside down. My mother passed away, leaving me with my baby sister, who...
by Hana Crisp | Oct 9, 2025 | Personal Stories
Jo shares the story of her search and reunion experience, assisted by VANISH’s intermediary service. Her journey spans more than two years of searching, navigating complex interstate adoption records, and ultimately connecting with her mother after more than 50...
by Lucy Whitfield | Jul 16, 2025 | Personal Stories
This story was created as part of the VANISH Storytelling Workshops for Adult Adoptees, a new initiative supported by Relationships Victoria and the Australian Government’s Forced Adoption Support Services Small Grants Program. Facilitated by adoptee, theatre...
