Adoptee Searches for Brothers Who May Be Living in Beverly-Oak Lawn Area

CHICAGO, IL -- Although Carmella Abbott has always known she’s been adopted, what she didn’t know is that she had four half-siblings, two of whom were living just minutes away from where she grew up in Beverly. Now she is trying to find the other two brothers who, like her, were given up for adoption as infants.

Adopted at eight days old by a Chicago police officer and his insurance executive wife, Abbott, 30 grew up an only child near 118th Street and Rockwell in Beverly.

“I had the most amazing parents,” said Abbot, who today lives in Worth. “I was the only child and the center of attention. All of the Christmas presents under the tree were for me. They gave me an amazing life, private schools, DePaul University. My parents are good loving people. They were strict but fun.”

While attending Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, Abbott never thought about the possibility that she may have biological siblings. It wasn’t until the chance discovery of her birth records in 2011. when she learned her last name before she was adopted.

She was able to surmise that had been born on Jan. 22, 1986 in a house on the South Side. Curious, Abbott began pouring through the white pages. She googled her last name at birth when a phone number popped up. That number turned out to be her uncle, who lives in Chicago Ridge and owns a steam cleaning business.

“I got his wife who asked me if I wanted to meet my birth mother. I said yes, and went the next day to meet her in Chicago Ridge,” Abbott said. “She told me I had an older sister and three brothers who had also been given up for adoption."

Abbott calls the story of how she and her half-siblings came to be adopted “complicated.” Her older sister, Ann Marie, spent some time in foster care until she was adopted by an aunt. One of her half-brothers, who we’ll call Joseph, grew up five minutes away from her and attended St. Rita High School.

The whereabouts of her other brothers, Anthony Joseph Boerema born on Oct. 27, 1988. and Michael Anthony Boerema, born on July 6, 1996, are unknown. Abbott believes her brothers’ names were most likely changed by their adoptive parents.

“I just want to know what they look like, what they sound like, they’re my family,” she said. “I would love to meet and get to know them. Do they have a good life? Are they okay.”

In Illinois, adoptees can obtain a non-certified birth certificate containing the names of one or both birth parents. However,a new lawallows birth parents of adopted persons born on or after Jan. 1, 1946, to redact their names from original birth certificates until after the birth parent is deceased. Birth parents and adoptees may also leave word regarding contact.

Abbott has registered with the Illinois Adoption Registry and had a confidential go-between assigned to her, but the intermediary was unable to locate her brothers. Because of the close proximity of her birth mother, sister and brother, Abbott thinks the other two siblings may be living close by in the south suburbs.

Her sister, Ann Marie, told her that Michael Anthony’s mother, a woman named Patti, reached out to Joseph, hoping he could help her son who was was struggling with being adopted.

“I just want to know that he’s okay,” Abbott says of the younger half-brother who is now 20. “Maybe I can help him.”

Abbott has been in touch with the private attorney that handled her’s and her brothers’ adoptions. The attorney acknowledges that Abbott did reach out to him, but he retired over 20 years ago and didn’t keep the files.

“Even if I did have them, I couldn’t share them with her without a court order because they are confidential,” the retired attorney said. “I understand her search, I have an adopted daughter myself.”

Meanwhile, Abbott isn’t giving up. It is her hope that someone will see her story on Patch and note if their son, brother, nephew or cousin, who has the same birthday and is adopted, will reach out to her.

“I just want to put my family back together,” she says. “The story started out rocky and tragic, but it could turn out really great.”

If you have information regarding Anthony Joseph Boerema and Michael Anthony Boerema, please contact Patch editor Lorraine Swanson via email at lorraine.swanson@patch.com. Your information will be kept confidential and passed on to Carmella Abbott.

Photo: Carmella Abbott | Provided