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Now, Mendelson, 29, who is both a filmmaker and an Uber driver, intends to set out on a month-long journey to the Philippines to find his mother, his father, and to learn as much detail as possible about his early life story in order to make a 90-minute documentary called "Adopted."
"I had never questioned where I came from until a few months ago," said Mendelson. "I grew up with white people. I was really taken care of here, you know. I love my family."
But a chance ride in his Uber car piqued his curiosity. Mendelson was driving a missionary who told him about work she was doing to connect adopted children with their biological parents. The spark was lit. In the following months, Mendelson set about researching his history.
He now knows the names of both his biological mother and father, though he does not know if either is alive. He knows the hospital he was born in, where he lived with his mother for five months, and the orphanage he lived in until he was adopted.
Many adopted children have a natural curiosity to seek out their birth parents, but for some the endeavor raises feelings of guilt and worry over how their adopted parents will react. Mendelson says his mother felt worried at first but now he has both his parents' blessings.
"I didn't want to make my parents feel bad," said Mendelson. "But I feel as though I owe it to myself to make this journey. "
The filmmaker is hoping to do more than find his original family. He wants to share his experience with the world because he knows there are many adopted families who are struggling with this issue.
"This film is more than a film about me," said Mendelson. "It's for anyone who needs to know that they have a place in the world."
He plans to set out in November 2016, during the dry season, bringing with him a couple of friends. The $45,000 he's hoping to raise during his three-month Indiegogo campaign will cover travel, lodging, hiring a film crew and Indiegogo rewards.
Ultimately he hopes to find the people who gave him life, and get them to agree to go on camera to tell their story. But even if he doesn't, Mendelson still plans to chronicle the journey, possibly with other adoptees stories too.
Recalling his conversation with the missionary, Mendelson said she used a phrase "completing the circle." That made him cry. That's when he knew what he must do.
To watch the trailer, click here.
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