Adoption: A Love That Knows No Borders | Michelle Madrid-Branch | TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool

As an adoptee, Michelle Madrid-Branch describes her journey to becoming a parent with two adopted children of her own. Through her experiences, Michelle emphasizes that the idea of a family should be shaped purely by love and not by the traditional notions of geographical borders, genetic makeup, or religion. Michelle is an author, speaker, international adoptee, and global advocate for women and children; specializing in the areas of adoption, foster care, abandonment recovery, and identity reconciliation. Her mission is to ensure that the adoption community is heard, seen, valued, respected, and understood.
As the Host of "The Greater Than Podcast," Michelle focuses on the strength and resilience of the human spirit. She shares stories of triumph over challenge and asks the question, "What is the internal drive that urges a person to move beyond struggle and stand greater than the very obstacle that tried to keep them down?"
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx.

[@Amie9176]

I've known Michelle for many years and she has an undying passion for all children. She works tirelessly to help adopted & fostered children, all the while being a great mother to her one biological son and 2 adopted children. All her children are loved equally and have a wonderful life. Michelle is a beautiful soul!

[@sathudbs]

Thank you Michelle for sharing the lovely message. My dream is to adopt and I pledge to adopt at least 2 children and take care of them. I hope the process will get smoother to get adopted. Thanks for sharing your story and beautiful kids.

[@leewalk9178]

I have the same wish...

[@sathudbs]

Good to hear about that Asmae Alami. All the best.

[@leewalk9178]

@@sathudbs thank you.

[@sathudbs]

@Asmae Alami 🙏🏻

[@patriciab696]

Wow. Family preservation is critical to the health of children, family and society as a whole. Keep family together ❤.

[@allthingsjazzy1980]

IF you have never been adopted you have no idea what she saying it never leaves you it can only make you or break you

[@hermanmelville3871]

Breaks a lot more of us than it makes us.

[@CrystalChaos00]

Thank you!!

[@ayushaadhikari5078]

Desrves more views😍💜

[@MillicentOkullo-pi8zy]

Hi Michelle, I am Millicent from Kenya. I run a small school in my slam village in Nairobi and have a number of needy learners. I really looking for someone to help me buy food and pay rent for my learners. I wish to help them a achieve their educational goals. Much love

[@phoenixhires4685]

"Adoption teaches us that family has very little to do with biology and everything to do with love."

[@2012redrobin]

🤢🤢 Intentionally minimizing connections to our original family. Families can be made of more than just DNA. But DNA is part of who we are. By God's design.

[@phoenixhires4685]

@@2012redrobin connections to "real" family, even the ones who are abusive or neglectful or don't want anything to do with their kids? Get out of here, troll. If you don't agree, go somewhere else. This video is a for people who understand love, and yes, God's love for every human. Their right to be loved. DNA has absolutely nothing to do with it. And until God himself comes down here preaching otherwise, you're still wrong. period. Now go away.

[@tobikeeney176]

Very true. I am not adopted but for me and my siblings and parents, 95% of my 'cousins' and uncles and aunties and sisters and brothers that I am extremely close to have zero blood relation with us Heck, even my granma is actually my moms aunt, and my biological granma lived 30 mins away from us, and I barely knew her as she didn't raise our mother, her sister did. When we heard she died of old age, it was like hearing someone random died on the news. You saw aww and move on. Meanwhile, my adoptive granma can't cough without us scrambling around like desperate chickens to make sure she is fine. Family is not about blood. It's about relationships.

[@2012redrobin]

Children in care are more often further damaged while in care. She speaks to this: 80% of those in prison were in Foster Care. 80% of trafficking victims came through foster care. Adoption does not solve these statistics. It only adds to them. Missing from her statistics: Adoptees are 4x's more likely to attempt suicide; 43% more likely to develop substance abuse. Those "orphans" are orphans on paper only, most often have parents struggling financially. Orphanages are a way to seek temporary care in countries around the world. They need resources, not to have their children stolen & sold off by a billion dollar adoption industry, which this woman romanticizes & glorifies. While mothers & fathers around the world grieve the loss of their children, often having been lied to & conned. This is nothing but an advertisement for trafficking thru adoption. She's one adoptee who believes in her own saviorism. The one she was told as a child & perpetuates on the children she's taken from their original country, culture, language, heritage, original family history. I too am a foster adoptee. This ridiculous magical fairytale version does more harm by far than it does any good.

[@ellieperry4194]

Oh wow this has so little views

[@gasparcunha]

Michelle,Hi, We adopted a child in USA soil then we move to make it recognized ,in country of the child birth,we did,now he lost his green card,i new he is American Citizen but.He can not have US passport to get back home.He lives with us before 14 and he was adopted before 16,The Rio De Janeiro folks seems do not want see the facts.

[@eyyupsari15]

.

[@MsPosset]

How unfortunate that Michelle tells "us" that "we" regard all adopted/fostered children in a negative light. We don't. Michelle, if you were told by your adoptive parents that you were "difficult to place" I question WHY they told you - that was cruel so the cruel people aren't "we", in this case it's the adopters! Your generalised arguments don't seem to lead anywhere - what are you trying to tell us we should do about it? Children in care are often "damaged" by foetal alcohol syndrome, violent parents etc but that doesn't mean the children are to blame or should be stigmatised but I'm not sure what our take away should be from this talk.

[@2012redrobin]

Children in care are more often further damaged while in care. She speaks to this: 80% of those in prison were in Foster Care. 80% of trafficking victims came through foster care. Adoption does not solve these statistics. Missing from her statistics: Adoptees are 4x's more likely to attempt suicide; 43% more likely to develop substance abuse. Those "orphans" are on paper only, & often have parents struggling financially. Orphanages are a way to seek temporary care in countries around the world. They need resources, not having their children stolen & sold off by a billion dollar adoption industry, which this woman romanticizes and glorifies. While mothers & fathers around the world grieve the loss of their children, often having been lied to & conned. This is nothing but an advertisement for trafficking thru adoption. She's one adoptee who believes in her own saviorism. The one she was told as a child & perpetuates on the children she's taken from their original country, culture, language, heritage, original family history. I too am a foster adoptee. This ridiculous magical fairytale version does more harm by far than it does any good.