Jeff Gianola’s Journal: Wednesday’s Child Amy

Editor’s Note: KOIN 6 News anchorman Jeff Gianola will retire around Thanksgiving 2025 after more than 40 years as a Portland journalist. In this series, Jeff looks back at some of the most memorable stories he’s covered and shared.

This story originally aired on April 19, 2023.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — “Hi, Jeff, my name is Amy Purdy. I know you have met a lot of people and probably don’t remember me. But I was a Wednesday Child in 1987 or 1988. I was called Donna Ann Foster, but they called me Dawn.”

About 36 years ago, I held that little baby girl in my arms and fed her a bottle. Now, she used Instagram to reach out and reconnect decades later.

‘A really good life’

“I feel blessed,” Amy said when we met recently. “My parents told me that they loved me from the second that they saw my face. So I was very happy. We had a really good life. I was very happy.”

Back in 1987, Pam and Carl were a young couple struggling to have a child. Fate stepped in when they saw the Wednesday’s Child segment with that little baby girl. They were prepared for a baby — a caseworker had already done a home study.

“Like, 300 other couples called the next day to say, ‘Can we have that baby?'” Pam told KOIN 6 News. “They chose us, so I feel a little special there.”

When Amy was 2, a caseworker called with the news Amy had a biological sister. Pam and Carl immediately said yes.

“I wanted to have a child,” Pam said. “We ended up with two.”

Raising the 2 girls became their life. It was expensive but Carl didn’t worry about money.

“Money’s not the most important thing in life,” Carl said. “One of the things I know is that when we would have difficulties or, you know, as every parent has difficulties, it brought us closer together.”

Amy was overjoyed with having a sister.

“One of the earliest memories I have is I went into her nursery one time and I was playing with her and we both started laughing. I was just making faces at her and she was laughing and I was laughing. It was just a lot of fun.”

Amy and her sister had an incredible childhood with vacations and extended family. Pam and Carl loved and cherished them.

“I was always treated as if I was blood and not adopted,” Amy said. “Our whole family is made up of adoptees. It was just fantastic. We had family holidays. We had trips. We went to Hawaii many times.”

They also gave Amy an appreciation for music.

“When I was growing up my parents were a little bit older when they adopted me,” she said. “I grew up listening to CCR, the Beatles, John Denver, Jim Croce, the Mamas and the Papas. For my graduation from high school, my mom took me to a Tom Jones concert. That was so much fun.”

Amy grew up, met and married a man named Jonathan 15 years ago. They complete each other.

“His caring personality, how he’s always there when someone needs a hand. He’s always been there for me,” she said. “He’s my knight in shining armor.”

Amy’s life is full of kindness and love, an example set by her adoptive parents who urge other couples thinking about adoption that the rewards outweigh the hardships — as long as you have a sense of humor.

“The best thing about adopting is everytime one of them did something stupid or mean or whatever, we could say she got that from your side of the family,” she said, laughing.

But Amy has never forgotten she was once a foster child. And she has one special memory growing up.

“Across the street from there was a foster girl. She had no friends. And I would go over there and spend time with her, play with her and we would do hair and makeup. It was a lot of fun,” Amy said. “I always think to myself I wish I could have had them in my family because it’s so perfect.”

For information on foster children and adoption, call
The Oregon Foster Care and Adoption Line: 1.800.331.0503.