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Indigenous

Woman turns to Facebook in 23-year search for brother

Lori Campbell is one of eight siblings placed in the the care of Saskatchewan social services in the 1970s. She has found all of her siblings except one and has recently turned to Facebook to help in the search.

Lori Campbell finds biological family she lost through foster care, one still missing

This photo Lori Campbell posted on Facebook about her search for her younger brother has been shared over 20,000 times. (Lori Campbell)

Lori Campbell was just 14 months old when she was apprehended by socialservices in Saskatchewan.

Her mother was sexually abused as a child andbecame a prostitute when she was 14.Her father was a john.

The worker indicated that when you were first placed in your foster home you were a bit apprehensive of people. Campbell reads from a document in her file, obtained from social services.
This photo of Lori Campbell as a baby was sent to prospective adoptive parents by Saskatchewan social services. (Lori Campbell)
You held on to the foster mother and then one by one came to know the other members

Campbell stayed in the care of child services until she wasadopted when she was two.

Her adopted family was white but Campbell always knew she was different.

I knew I was Mtis. I dont remember not knowing. she says. But she wasnt encouraged to embrace her heritage.

I grew up in rural,red neck Saskatchewan in the 70's and 80's and it wasnt something you wanted to advertise.

Campbell began search for her birth family

After graduating high school, Campbell moved to Regina to attend university. It was there she began her search for her family. She started lookingin 1991 andit took her eight years to findout her mothers name.

I had a name I went to a phone book at the public library and I found a number.

Hours later she was on the phone talkingto her mother for the first time.

In that first conversation, Campbell remembers her mother saying, I always said youd be the first one to come and find us.

The first because Lori wasnt her mothers only child that was placed in care all seven of her siblings had been taken into custody of child and family services.

Campbell still searching for younger brother

In the last 15 years, Lori Campbell has tracked down all of her younger siblings except one.

Im the oldest. I feel responsible to at least check in on them.

Her younger brotherwas born in Regina in 1974 was andadopted in 1978.

A photo that she postedonFacebookasking for help finding him has beenshared over 10,000 times.

...I feel lucky that I went into care... and that I survived being rescued.- Lori Campbell

Campbellsaid the recent news about children who have died in care have added to the urgency.

She doesn't know much about the months that she spent in care except for the little information supplied by social services. But she still considers herself fortunate.

I feel lucky and its weird to say that I feel lucky that I went into care and had interaction with the system that was supposed to rescue me and that I survived being rescued."

Campbell's mother'shealth is deteriorating

Campbell is the only one of her siblings that has a relationship with her mother who is nowHIV positive and also suffers from multiple sclerosis.
Lori Campbell (left) is working with her mother, Brenda Campbell (right) to document her life and story. (Lori Campbell)

Our mom is not healthy. She never got things fixed in her life. And she is kind of on her last leg here my work is gathering her stories and her experiences andthis is one last piece until its done. There is some pressure in it.

Campbell is also workingwith her mother to write about a book about her life.

"I know she did the best she could with the hand she was given. Life was not easy for her by any means.