Raj Arneja - A women of resilience and determination

A MOTHER’S LOVE IS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE ON EARTH

Raj Arneja has written a memoir titled ‘Love at First Sight; A Mother’s Journey to Adoption’. Her book chronicles her journey of adopting her two babies from India. It describes the challenges and travels she went through while trying to adopt her now grown up children in the 1990s. Raj’s experiences have made her a strong advocate for adoption and a voice of reason and support in the community.

Raj is the Director of Corporate Engagement & Philanthropy at Nanak Foods and works hard at building relationships within the community through her work at the company. She directs the company’s philanthropy including strategy, programming and partnership development, along with dayto- day operation of all corporate contributions. Raj is also a recipe creator for Nanak Foods’ social media channels.

Raj sits on Boards where she can apply her skills and experiences. She is one of the founding members of the Seva Thrift Society, which runs a charitable thrift store. She was the former President of the Board and has been a volunteer manager one day a week for the last 7 years. Raj enjoys supporting and fundraising for various charitable, non-profit community organizations. She strongly feels that humanity has no borders, and we should all reach out and help wherever we are able to, regardless of race, gender or nationality. She is a recipient of the Woman’s Economic Forum’s Award for Empowerment.

Rewarding part of being a mom

The most rewarding part of being a mom is learning and growing with my kids. I cherish each moment that we have created together and find joy in all the little things. Being a mom has fulfilled the nurturing need deep inside me and I find that rewarding in itself. Longing to be a mother for so many years, I am now blessed with two wonderful children who have grown up to be great human beings and I take pride in their upbringing.

Qualities of a miracle mom

When I was 29 years old, I flew to India by myself to find a baby to adopt. I had no idea what I was in for but without hesitation and a lot of drive, I landed in New Delhi and soon after roamed the streets for nearly two weeks leaving my name at every hospital I came across. After a pilgrimage to Hemkund Sahib, a miracle happened. My baby boy was born. I suddenly had enormous strength to take care of this tiny little child, my child. I was determined to get us both back to Canada quickly. My resilience strengthened when I had to deal with the bureaucracy and the adoption process in India all while taking care of my newly born son. With this experience, I built up so much confidence and endurance. I was ready for my second child four years later. I went back to India to do it all again. Miraculously I found my little baby girl. It was love at first sight!

Feeling of being a miracle mom

I felt like a miracle mom when I brought my son from the hospital in New Delhi and immediately stepped into the role of taking care of an underweight newborn baby without any help or guidance. At the same time, I was on calls all day and ran around New Delhi, getting the adoption process started along with fulfilling passport and visa requirements. Becoming a mother was my goal in life in my 20’s. The very thought of adopting a child is what kept me going through the years of infertility. My thoughts always lead me to the road of adoption. Adoption was my escape route; and I came out as a ‘Miracle Mother’.

Striking balance in life

When my kids were little, I worked full time and did not really get the time to think about balance. I just had to get on with it; kids, their activities, profession, housework, time with extended family etc. It was important for me to be present in both the roles, mother & professional. Having my mom, dad and other immediate family members at my side helped me immensely. When I needed help, they obliged, without hesitation. It took ‘the village’ to help me raise my children and I guess that is how my life balanced itself out.

Miracle moms stand apart

All moms are miracle moms. Every mother I know in my generation had to endure so much. The household duties were primarily the mom’s, plus she worked, all while teaching, caring, loving her children, not to mention in many cases, taking care of extended family members along with her husband. I feel mothers everywhere should be applauded for everything they do. My inspiration and empowerment came from my mother who was the hardest working person I know.

Spotlight on the miracle moms

Becoming a mom was my biggest accomplishment in life and I hope to inspire women and young couples to open their minds to adoption as well as break the stigma in our community about adoption. My book is not a ‘how to’ book on adoption. It can however make a couple feel the positivity that they didn’t have before to take action and adopt a child. I’m hoping that a couple who is unable to conceive will read my book and realize that there is a ‘light’ at the end of the infertility tunnel and that ‘light’ is adoption. Their life can be fulfilled as mine is. Since I launched my book, I have had an overwhelming positive response from my family and friends, including my own sisters who knew what my journey was like but did not know the depth of what I went through. I was pleasantly surprised to see my book went to number one on Amazon in the adoption category, for the first 2 weeks of release.