January 2026 marks a very special milestone for us at Lifetime Adoption: 40 years of building families, caring for babies, and supporting women through some of the most important moments of their lives.
When I started Lifetime Adoption back in 1986, there were no smartphones, no apps, no texting. There was just a calling, a deep desire placed on my heart to help women, babies, and families in their most vulnerable moments.
I carried two pagers everywhere I went. One for birth mothers…and one for adoptive parents and the professionals helping them. If either one buzzed — day or night — I was already grabbing my keys. I remember leaving one hospital after attending a birth, making sure everything was in place…only to be paged again before I even reached my car. Another birth mother needed me at a different hospital. So, I headed to the next hospital.
It was exciting. It was exhausting. And there were nights I didn’t get any sleep at all, rushing from one delivery room to the next while raising two children of my own. I handled many of my early adoptions while cooking dinner, the phone balanced on my shoulder as I stirred the pasta and counseled a birth mother through her fears.
My Personal Journey: From Heartbreak to Hope
I’ve lost seven pregnancies. And then we were told we were “too old at age 30” to adopt a newborn. Agencies slammed the door shut because we were overweight or not married long enough. Others denied us because I owned my own business and wouldn’t be a “stay-at-home Mom.” Sometimes it was that our income wasn’t high enough, we weren’t the right religion, we lived in the wrong county; the list went on.
Nothing seemed to work. I had never had so many rejections in one week. I never forgot what that felt like. That’s why I wanted to help as many people as possible, but this journey is not for the faint of heart.
My personality was and is, “I’ve made the decision, so let’s do it – NOW!” In my life, if I wanted something, I could pick up the phone and call in an order, sign a check, or ask my secretary to have it on my desk by noon. So here I sat with this overwhelming desire to be a mother and all this love to share with a child, asking, “How do I complete this ‘task’ of parenthood by my deadline?”
I started with a plan, a notebook, assistance from a caring adoption consultant, and a lot of hard work; this was our family we were building, after all! Through my persistence, I found and contacted sources that led me to other sources until I found my precious son. Despite the initial setbacks, I refused to give up. Within weeks of starting our adoption search, we had three different birth mothers choose us. We were overwhelmed and delighted.
What Adoptive Families Need
Adoptive parents need strong faith, determination, patience, and a compassionate heart for a woman going through one of the hardest times of her life. The good news? These qualities can be developed and strengthened through the education and support Lifetime offers. And that’s why our adoption webinars matter so much. We’ve offered them for years, long before anyone else provided educational support.
I’ve had so many adoptive parents tell me, “I heard your voice in my head when a situation came up, and I asked myself, ‘What would Mardie do?'” And because of that, they made the right decision, the compassionate decision. They cry and laugh with their birth mothers. They show up with understanding instead of judgment. They build relationships that honor everyone in the adoption triad.
Expanding Our Reach: Books, Podcasts, and Resources
Over these 40 years, I’ve been blessed to share adoption guidance in so many ways. My radio show, Let’s Talk Adoption, which has evolved into a podcast, has allowed me to reach families across the country with honest conversations about the realities of adoption. Each week, we explore the ever-evolving issues about the adoption process, raising children, and pregnancy options. Whether you’re an adoptee, an adoptive parent, a birth parent, or simply someone interested in learning more, we share real stories and expert insights.
I’ve also written several books to help guide families through their adoption journey. AdoptingOnline.com, which won the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Rising Star Award, contains the roadmap, advice, resources, and working knowledge you need to find the baby of your dreams. Dr. Laura Schlessinger called it “An Awesome Resource for Anyone Interested in Adoption!”
For women facing an unplanned pregnancy, I wrote So I Was Thinking About Adoption: Consider Your Choices, a compassionate, non-judgmental guide that helps women explore all facets of adoption in today’s world. Now in its 5th edition with over 65,000 copies in print, this book has helped thousands of women learn about the option of open adoption. The book addresses the complex emotions that accompany an unplanned pregnancy with sensitivity and understanding, offering practical advice for difficult but essential aspects of the adoption process.
Other titles include Adoption: Your Step-by-Step Guide, Called to Adoption for Christian families answering the call, The Healthcare Professional’s Adoption Guide for hospital staff, and even Ellie the Brave, Bald Fairy, a children’s book giving hope to kids facing cancer and childhood illnesses.
Each book was born from real situations I’ve encountered: the questions families ask, the fears they face, and the hope they carry.
Posing for a photo with Larry King after my appearance on Larry King Live
Media Appearances
Over the years, I’ve also had the privilege of sharing my adoption expertise and story through a variety of media appearances. I’ve been featured on national television shows such as NBC’s The Today Show, CNN, Fox News, and Dr. Laura, as well as on local news programs across the country.
In addition, I’ve contributed to radio shows, podcasts, and top publications, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Parenting Magazine. Each opportunity has allowed me to advocate for adoption, educate the public, and share the hope that adoption brings to families and birth parents alike.
These experiences have been both humbling and inspiring, and I am grateful for every chance I’ve had to be a voice for adoption in the media.
How Adoption Has Changed
During my quest in the 1980s, I maintained a detailed spiral notebook, chronicling the doctors, attorneys, counselors, and other professionals who helped me. I even recorded every step I took to reach my goal. As I held my son in my arms, calls poured in from other couples who were also striving to become parents. Soon, I became an adoption coordinator by default.
Upon selling my manufacturing/wholesale company, I went full steam ahead as an adoption coordinator. Little did I know that God was training and aligning me for the adoption work I now do today.
Today, hopeful parents can complete all legal steps, the home study background check, and the necessary paperwork online. This has really sped up the process.
Birth parents and adoptive parents can take an active role in pursuing their goals. A birth mother has the opportunity to look at photos and profiles of available adoptive families in privacy.
Birth families can search for adoptive parents with a similar heritage, physical appearance, or religious background, among other characteristics. The term “waiting list” just about disappears, and waiting in obscurity has become a thing of the past.
The Stories That Keep Us Going
As an adoption coordinator, I found that each morning could see me in a sudden flight to pick up a baby or on the telephone handling a birth mother in crisis. However, it has been an eventful and rewarding career, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
At Lifetime, we’ve had adoptive families who have welcomed with open arms babies born to drug-addicted mothers; moreover, a family who adopted their child from an HIV positive birth mother. We help with bi-racial adoptions, and help single women adopt. We have one birth mother who chose adoption for her baby, then wrote a book to share her story with the world. We have an attorney who, after adopting a child through us, became an adoption attorney—and the list goes on!
Where We Are Today
Today, Lifetime Adoption is growing stronger than ever. We complete over 120 adoptions per year. We have in-house, 24-hour phone lines and receive over 300 calls a day. As we look back over 40 years of building families and supporting women and children, we are proud to continue our legacy — a true lifetime of love.
At Lifetime Adoption, we are driven by our love for what we do. The joy and contentment we see on the faces of the families and birth parents we work with keep us going, even through the emotional ups and downs of our profession. We cry and laugh every day, but the fulfillment we derive from our work is immeasurable.
It is my goal to share with birth parents and adoptive parents our resources and to help you in making the right decision for your life. I believe adoption should be a fulfilling and well-thought-out plan for the birth parent and the adoptive family, with the best interests of the child as our focus.
I have also been on both sides of infertility, with numerous pregnancy losses and then conceiving by new technology and giving birth to a healthy daughter. I have experienced first-hand the emotional pain of infertility and believe my experience allows me to serve our clients’ needs better.
Our Promise to You
Lifetime Adoption is more than a service. It’s a calling. It’s a legacy. And it’s thousands of families built, thousands of women supported, and countless nights spent making sure no one ever feels alone.
We’re dedicated. We’re passionate. And we’re here for you, just as we have been since 1986. We are committed to answering your adoption questions honestly and transparently. I’ve been in your shoes, and I know it can be done.
It is my hope for you, the prospective parents, that you will soon adopt the child you’ve been dreaming of. It is my hope for you, our beloved birth mothers, placing your babies and children for adoption, that the immeasurable amount of love for the child you are carrying will be returned to you over your life again and again.
God bless you and your adoption journey. You’re not walking it alone.