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Patrick Rounds
Edina, MN
Birth Country: South Korea
Decade of adoption: 1980s
Jong Hong Kim, four months, now Nicholas Raymond Rounds, age 23, arrived via Northwest Orient Airlines one cold January night in 1983 with several other Korean infants through the services of the Children's Home Society.
The moment was huge for my wife and I and our two biological daughters, ages ten and eight. Many members of my immediate family and neighbors were there, plus a small crowd that gathered in the gate area probably thinking a rock band was arriving. This event was far more exciting than that.
He was our new son, an exceptional bundle of joy and a gift from above. Tears were in abundance. Adoption was the only method to add to our family as we had decided not to have any additional children after daughter number two for purely financial reasons.
Nicholas (Nick) is all boy and participated successfully in baseball, hockey and golf, his real passion. Now married and living in Florida, he hopes to make golf his profession as he struggles through mini-tour events looking to get noticed. My only struggle other than his poor driving habits during high school was how noticable and subtle racism can be in our daily lives. From the emotion packed contact sports to job interviews, I have heard the racial slurs and witnessed the "looks" associated with minority status.
But we remain blessed beyond belief as we experience more goodness than hate as each year passes. We now have a four-year-old Korean grandson adopted by my number two daughter, with special needs due to a chromosome imbalance. He amazes us every day as he struggles to catch up to his contemporaries. Minnesota is a wonderful state for his special needs and services are many and varied.
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