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Stefanie Mercado Altman (Author) Stefanie Mercado Altman is a public health professional, writer, and advocate for adoption, identity, and mental health awareness. She has been published in Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans and lives in Brooklyn, NY, where she continues her advocacy work. Stan Altman (Author) Stan Altman is a professor of public affairs and higher education leader with over fifty years of experience. He has served as interim President of Baruch College and Dean of the Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at CUNY. Currently, he directs the Gaming Pathways Program at City College of New York, focusing on education, workforce development, and technology-driven learning initiatives. Claire Altman (Author) Claire Altman is a writer, lawyer, and consultant specializing in affordable housing, social services, and public policy. She has developed innovative programs supporting families, seniors, and formerly incarcerated individuals and has dedicated her career to social impact initiatives.
This is the story of an incredible journey, made all the more riveting by the fact that it is told in the clear, open and insightful voices of Claire, Stan and their (adopted) daughter Stefanie. I have performed numerous psychiatric evaluations for Family Court, Juvenile Court and adult Criminal Court proceedings, and I have seen how our failure to protect and support a child can result in a troubled adult. In contrast, this story clearly demonstrates how a child with a difficult beginning can become a well-functioning, compassionate adult when she, or he, receives the nurture, guidance, support and yes, love that she requires. If only we truly invested in systems that would identify such children and appropriately intervene in their lives, instead of simply focusing on punishing those adults we had failed to protect.---Richard G. Dudley, Jr., M.D., Clinical & Forensic Psychiatrist Adoption always begins in tragedy. And the Altmans' story is no exception. But the story of Stefanie, Claire and Stan is much more. It is the story of a dying mother who gets to choose how her daughter will be raised. It is the story of a couple past their childbearing years who learn to be the parents a little girl's needs. It is the story of a girl's resilience through devastation and instability. It is the story of a maddening journey through family court. Most of all, though, Twice Blessed is the story of a family forged through love.---Naomi Riley, Senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute and author of No Way to Treat a Child In this book, the Altmans recount a moving personal and professional saga that is deeply intertwined with the tumultuous history of New York City in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. As Claire and Stan were involving themselves in the early battles against the twin epidemics of HIV/AIDS and homelessness, three-month-old Stefanie came into their lives in a manner that seems at first accidental, but ultimately foreordained. Determined to fulfill their pledge to Stefanie's dying mother, and fueled by their growing affection for Stefanie and hers for them, Claire and Stan navigate the reefs and shoals of New York family law toward the goal of adopting her. Twice Blessed tells a valuable story about both the complexity of chosen family, and the simplicity of the love that undergirds it.---David Hansell, Former Commissioner, New York City Administration for Children's Services
