Fiona Myles, an author from Salford, was adopted at around eight months old. She has now written a book about the struggles she’s faced with being adopted.
“Growing up, I was always told I was adopted, which meant I was special, chosen. However, I began to feel different and awkward about being adopted. Emotionally, I struggled with it.”
This led Fiona down a path of drug addiction at the age of 17, with a string of abusive relationships, where drugs and alcohol were the norms.
“My behaviour was becoming an issue, by the time I was 10, I was stealing and lying. By 17, I was in London and ended up on drugs and being used and abused, with two failed marriages.”
At the age of 29, she was finally able to find a balance in life and became a Christian.
Fiona wanted to write her story to “help other adoptees overcome some of the struggles I have overcome.”
She had tried to write her story several times before, but failed to get anywhere with it, that was until lockdown. This was when she was finally presented an opportunity to think about things and finish her book.
Her first book; This is Me – No Darkness Too Deep was finally published at the beginning of August. Her book is all about her struggles and how she overcame them.
She eventually married again, but her challenges didn’t end. She struggled with infertility for more than 33 years and didn’t become a parent until she was 50.
This was when she received special guardianship over her great-niece; Georgie, from the family she was adopted out of.
“Being a parent at 50 was extremely difficult. I was permanently exhausted and our little girl had many extra needs that had to be met,” she said.
Georgie had many medical issues, which Fiona had to adapt to, on top of being a parent.
“She had allergies, skin conditions and she still wasn’t walking at 14 months old,” she said.
“She had a brain bleed at a day old, which has left her with some difficulties. Now, she attends The Leaf Unit in Lewis Street Primary where her needs are being met very well.”
Fiona has lived in Salford for more than 10 years and is thoroughly involved in the community, wanting to give back both through her books and community work.
During the adoption process, Fiona and her husband were managing a Christian recovery programme for women with Victory Outreach Manchester.
She says: “We had been living there for almost four years putting our experience to good use. This was based in Swinton at the time. We saw many women become drug-free from our time there.”
She is now waiting for her second book, Adopted, to be published in January. This book goes into more detail about the things adoptees struggle with, and her infertility.
As well as volunteering in her spare time for the Hive in Victoria Park Swinton, she hopes to work on the Friends of Victoria Park sensory garden in 2022.
To find out more about Fiona’s books, or get into contact with her, visit her website
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