[Adoption Statement of Jeanette Scinto] Page: 1 of 2
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OUR CHINA STORIES
Scinto, Jeanette (Dan Dan)
Adoptee
Adoption place: Chenzhou Welfare Center, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province
Date of adoption: October 1992
Age at adoption: 8 months
What would have Dan Dan's life have been like? That is a question I often think about
when reflecting on my adoption. Who was I before I was Jeanette Scinto? Would I still
be this introverted extrovert who loves to dance, travel, and help others? Would I be
jaded from what life threw at me? Would I be accepted within my community because of
my cleft lip? Would I even still be alive?
When I came home to the States, my pediatrician told my parents that I was so
malnourished that had I been in the orphanage any longer I probably would have died. I
am now about a month away from turning 25, and there is so much life that has
happened between February 29, 1992 (my birth date) and now. When I think about that
and how fortunate I have been, I can't help but smile and be thankful to be Jeanette
Scinto. I have had more opportunities in the last 24 years than many people get in a
lifetime, and definitely more than what Dan Dan would have had.
I know a name is just a name, but I feel like it's more than just an identifier. A name
signifies personality, reputation, and family ties and it often has some deep, sentimental
meaning. Jeanette means God is Gracious and it is my maternal grandmother's name.
She is the kindest person on this planet and I am happy to share a name with her. My
parents were told that Dan Dan means "Cinnabar" or "red." However, what is the
significance of those things? Did my birth parents name me Dan Dan or did the
orphanage? I guess these are questions I will never know the answers to, and for the
most part I am okay with that.
Ever since I was little, I wanted to know whether or not I had biological siblings. My
mom would tell me the story about how I asked if I had any brothers or sisters at a very
young age. Apparently I was in the car with my mom and brother, and out of the blue
that question came out of my mouth. My mom said that my brother whipped around in
his seat and said I am your big brother! He's been an amazing brother and is someone I
have looked up to my whole life, but after I watched the documentary "Twinsters" and
saw the Good Morning America segment about the Chinese twin adoptees finding one
another [Sarah Heath and Celena Kopinski, who also tell their story on Our China
Stories], that longing to find any biological siblings has increased. If I found a biological
sibling, I would at least have one person who shared the same DNA as me. I would
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Scinto, Jeanette. [Adoption Statement of Jeanette Scinto], text, March 22, 2017; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1256312/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting St. Edward’s University.