The Call that Changed My Life

January 27, 1987 

            The phone rang.

            With the folds of my jeans still gathered between my ankles and knees, I flicked on the switch of my motorized wheelchair, placed my palm on the joystick, and whizzed across the bedroom floor. I reached the phone on the third ring.

            “Hello.”

            “Oh, hello,” the female voice responded with a hint of surprise. “Is Neil Jacobson there?”

            “He’s at work.”

            “Ah, I must have his work and home number mixed up,” she explained in a slightly raspy, deep voice. I was about to say goodbye so she could call my husband at his office (and I could finish dressing) when she asked, “Are you Denise?”

            “Yes.”

            She introduced herself as Colleen Somebody-or-other, a friend of a friend of mine. She was calling from St. Louis, almost 2,000 miles away from Oakland. “Didn’t Judy tell you I’d be calling?”

            “No,” I replied... Judy was a networker, putting people in touch with each other regardless of whether or not they wanted to be networked. I was wary of calls that began this way...

            “Well . . . er,” Colleen paused as if gearing up for a dive into a cold pool.

A moment later, she took the plunge. “There’s a baby boy almost six weeks old up for adoption, we just found out he may have cerebral palsy. Judy said that you and Neil might be interested.”

            Her surprising words echoed in my head: A baby? Up for adoption? 

39 years later.

Image Description: David and Denise sit at a restaurant table with drinks in front of them. The sign for Cheezy’s Pizza is behind them.