This woman's graduation day was deeply emotional, and for good reason.
As a newborn, Jillian Sobol (31) was found in a cardboard box left in a dorm laundry room at San Francisco State University.
The baby girl was wrapped in blankets wet with the birthing fluids, and survived for hours alone until a student found her as he was doing his laundry.
The young man alerted fellow nursing student Esther Wannenmacher, who realised how serious the situation was.
She kept the baby warm and breathing until the paramedics arrived, and brought the baby to San Francisco General Hospital.
Eventually, Jillian’s biological parents were found. The pair had met at a party, but the mother went on to hide the pregnancy from her friends and family, giving birth alone. Both chose to leave school without their diplomas.
Fortunately, Jillian was soon adopted by a loving couple, Helene and Sam Sobol, who she credits with helping her to achieve the success she has today.
It didn’t come easily, however, which is what makes her graduation story even more remarkable.
“I had dyslexia, and some ADD and learning disabilities. I’ve gone to a lot of tutors, and people who taught me learning techniques.”
Having worked hard to overcome her difficulties, Jillian was finally accepted into the college where she was abandoned.
But it wasn’t until two months before she graduated that she decided to tell college officials.
“Thirty years later I am here to face the past, complete the circle, and move forward, into the future,” she wrote in a letter to the university president.
“Hope is the thing I believe my mother had when she made her choice. I’m here today making my own choices.”
While Jillian has reconnected with her biological father and former nursing student Esther who protected her, she has yet to find the courage to seek out her birth mother.
But she's not about to allow her tragic birth circumstances dictate her life.
“The love and support I’ve been raised with has allowed me to embrace it and not run from it or be scared by it,” she said.
Wow. We admire Jillian’s strength against the odds. What a girl!
SHARE if this story touched your heart.
