Our Mission.

We are a small dedicated team that will search far and wide to connect you with your early life, to family members and places, if and where we can.

You can trust us to furnish you with as much detail as possible. We will do this with respect and confidentially to all parties involved.

Can I Trace?

It is now legal to undertake searches since the 2022 Birth Information & Tracing Act. Those who were adopted now have a guaranteed right of access to information and records about their birth and early life, where this information is available.

Search companies are established in many other countries and Trace My Story has been set up in anticipation of Russian adoptees living in Ireland, or elsewhere, wanting to conduct searches. Adoptions are no longer ‘closed’ and all over 18’s have a right to their adoption paperwork and also are legally allowed to conduct searches.

FAQ

  • The first step of your journey is to request our PDF, which contains all necessary information and pricing.

    We will then follow up with a phone call and arrange a meeting. Debbie will talk you though our services and the steps ahead.

    More information on this can be found here.

  • We offer a number of different options, varying in price and detail.

    If you simply wish to know who and where your family are, we can provide this information. Or if you would like our team to reach out and visit your birth family, gathering stories, old photographs, medical records and medical history we can do this. We can ask the questions that have been playing on your mind for years. We can also research your wider family; siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, fully piecing together your history.

    Before meeting with Debbie you will be sent an online document which will include details of the above and our pricing.

    Once you have decided on how deeply you would like to trace a request for your initial fee/deposit will be sent to you. In the case of not finding anyone at all (approx 5%), part of this initial fee will be refunded. This will all be explained at the first meeting.

  • Timelines vary depending on the option you choose, circumstances of the birth family and the region in Russia where you are from.

    You can expect a trace to take anywhere from 3 to 12 months.

A letter from our founder

My name is Debbie Deegan and I am the founder of Trace My Story. I have a long history of working in Russia. It has been my second home for more than 30 years, a magnificent country with a vast array of landscapes and a complex history. 

We in Trace Your Story all believe that there should be a link between you, your birth family and your adopted family, we truly believe in strengthening family ties.

My work in Russia was focused solely on orphaned children, beautiful children given up by families for many different reasons. Myself and my team were not involved in adoption, although we watched many adoptions happen during our time there. We ran countless programmes that helped orphanage children, and one of the many things we did to support these children was to trace their their family. We traced as many as we could over decades. Some stories were tragic, but we were there for many joyful reunions.

Our combined team knows Russia better than most – midnight trains through those endless forests, the villages, the secrets, the harsh realities of poverty and broken families, dachas laden with vegetables all summer, mushroom gathering in Autumn, lilacs in Spring, gold domes glistening in Winter snow. We will reunite you with the land where you were born.

Our trained and ethical team will do our very best to find the information you are looking for. We will not upset or intrude in the lives of those who do not want us to but our experience tells us that there is usually someone who can help fill in the pages of your life story. We will bring you back this information in a truthful but sensitive way, taking into consideration everyone involved.

This is a difficult but fascinating journey, we will be with you for as much of it as you want us to be. 

  • Experienced Team

    Dedicated staff in Russia & Ireland

  • Trustworthy, Kind, Respectful

    Working with you in mind at every step

  • Reuniting Families

    Helping you piece together your story

Success Stories

"As I reflect back on my life, I often wonder how it would have turned out if this or that didn’t happen to me. One of the most significant moments of my life was the chance I had to reunite with my birth family. Thank you to Debbie and her team, it would not have happened without them and it has changed my life for the better."

Maria - Boston, America

"I was nervous to take the first step but I am so happy that I did. I am now in regular contact with a sister I didn’t know I had and I have plans to meet some of my birth family next year."

Jason - Dublin, Ireland

Contact us.