Watch what you eat, exercise, and get your cholesterol under control. These are the ordinary precautions and lifestyle changes people take after suffering from a heart attack. However, Lee Surratt took on an added mission following his heart attack that has been life altering in a very emotional way- the pursuit to find his birth parents.

“I was adopted, so after my heart attack I had no medical history and decided it was a good idea to get some,”  Surratt said. “I have started the process of finding my biological parents.”

The task is not an easy one, and at times may seem inconceivable.

“Back when I was adopted, the court sealed the records so now you have to get a court order to access them,” Surratt said.

Surratt has been working on accessing his court records for 4 years and has been through at least 25 lawyers. Not a single one has been successful.

“They all look at me like I’m crazy,” Surratt said . “They have never heard of anyone doing this before.”

This does not seem to ease Surratt’s determination in any way. The Department of Health gave Surratt basic information about his mother. This information includes her height, weight and eye color, but no identifying information.

“The little information they gave me actually created more questions than it gave answers,” Surratt said. “I’m in limbo right now. This has been a long, drawn-out process, and I’m not sure where I’m going to go from here.”

Surratt’s quest is not only for medical reasons, but also the curiosity of simply knowing who his parents are.

“Anytime you are adopted there is that emotional want.” Suratt said. “I mean, you always want to know who you look like, but this is not good enough for the court. You have to have a reason, so my medical reason is a way to get through.”

Surratt has known his whole life that he had been adopted and knowing about the other side had always been a question in his mind. An even bigger question that haunts him is what he will do when he finds his parents.

“That’s the scariest part,” Surratt said. “You don’t know if you’ll be welcomed with open arms or rejected. It’s one of those things that you would have to work up to.”

Though Surratt is nervous about the day he meets his parents, he plans to continue the trek to discover his lost bloodline.

“All I can do right now is keep searching and talking to lawyers. Maybe one of these days things will go my way.”