Claudia Corrigan Sheeley joined the adoption arena in 1987 when, at the age of 19, she faced the proverbial rock and a hard place and "chose" to have her first born son, Max, adopted at birth. After almost 14 years of attempting to live in a self imposed void, she wandered online over 5 years ago, and began to understand the truth behind the adoption mythology that she embraced for survival.
Since "waking up", Claudia has devoted much of her time working on adoption education and reform. She manages several adoption truth related message boards on MSN, is a founding member and administrator of Soul of Adoption, is on the Legislative committee and Chairs the PR position as well as webmistress, on Origins USA and is a lobbyist with Unsealed Initiative, a grassroots group to support Open records legislation in New York. She is a repeat guest on The Adoption Show, an internet based radio program, attended the St. Bart’s and Shedding light on the Adoption Experience conferences in NY, and has been interviewed for The Albany Record on search, reunions and open records. Claudia is currently collaborating on the national ProjectMorrigan, a documentary being made to give a voice to the natural moms of adoption loss that continue the stories started by Ann Fessler in “The Girls Who Went Away” and has authored the National Infant Adoption Reform Act, a future piece of US legislation that will reform current American adoption practices. She has also created the short video “A Relinquished Dream” regarding the emotional journey of mothers of adoption loss. She has an adoption related blog, Musings of the Lame, and is always working on "a book of sorts, or maybe two" regarding ethics in adoption and her personal story.
Since becoming active, Claudia also initiated a search for her son lost at birth and has since found and contacted Max directly. They are gently dancing around their first face to face reunion in over 19 years. She is the mother of three other children, wife to Rye, and an interior and kitchen designer. They reside in New York’s Hudson Valley.
