From China to Houston and back: adopted from China as a baby, Anna DeSanctis wanted to do something for the orphans left behind.

• Author: Desanctis, Anna
• Position: VOICES

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My name is Anna DeSanctis, but I began life as Tong Li Qun. I was born in China at a time when it was illegal to have more than one child, and most people wanted boys.

Like many other girls at the time, I was abandoned at birth, found by a stranger, and taken to an orphanage where I spent the first year of my life.

I guess you could say that being found was my first lucky break. While I was in the orphanage, my soon-to-be adoptive mom was preparing to bring me into her life, thousands of miles away. My second lucky break came in May 1994, when I was officially adopted and moved to Houston.

I can't deny that I often wonder what happened to my birth parents and why they gave me up. Was it just because I was a girl? Did they already have a child? Were they too poor to care for me?

HEROIC OR CRUEL?

But the important thing is that I am content with my current life. I choose to believe that my birth parents were being heroic, not cruel, when they set me on my journey as an adoptee.

Even though I'm not growing up with my birth family, I have a great adoptive family who love me as much as any other family could.

My sister, Mia, 8, who's also adopted from China, and I are a part of special group of adoptive families. When my mom went to China to adopt me, she traveled with a group of parents who were also adopting Chinese orphans. We've stayed in touch and see each other yearly for reunions. It's great to hang out with other adoptees, especially ones from my orphanage. Those girls will always be my sisters.

A few years ago, my mom told me that we were going to China in 2006. So I began to think about...