Life has never been simple for us. At just 25 and 27, we became parents to a 16-year-old boy. After a year and a half of getting to know him, we learned he would be a big brother. Soon, we welcomed our second son, a kind 14-year-old boy who can melt anyone’s heart. Our life started to feel whole.
Only four months into being a family of four, right before our first Christmas together, we got a call. It was from our oldest son’s former caseworker, someone we love and respect. She said, “I know you are busy adopting your second son, but I need your help.”
She told us about another boy whose case file was so big that no one wanted to look at it anymore. He had run away from his last home, failed in school, and did not seem to fit anywhere. She was honest, saying it would not be easy, but she was out of options.
It is heartbreaking to know you are someone’s last hope. However, we believed we needed to agree.
I cried to my best friend, saying, “It is Christmas. “We cannot abandon him.” We video-called him. He looked lost and hopeless. That weekend trip we decided quickly turned into preparing for a new son.
When we met him, he was skinny, silent, and could not make eye contact. He had long, bleached hair and visible sores on his skin. He was 15 and obviously in pain, but he was ours.
He tried to scare us by listing everything bad he had done: drugs, fights, and more. But we did not give up. We saw someone worth loving.
He was born into a painful life: a mother addicted to drugs and a father who hurt children. CPS removed him at age five. His first foster family was kind, but after their home burned down and the father died saving their dog, he was moved again.
Ultimately, he and his sister were adopted when they were 8 years old. By 13, they were returned to government custody. The adoptive parents could not handle raising a traumatized teen and gave him back to his birth mother. From that point, everything went downhill. With drugs, partying, and violence, he lost control.
He ended up in the hospital and then in a treatment center. He fought a lot, but the fighting stopped once he gave up hope. He was placed in another foster home, but without structure, he fell apart again. He found himself with his biological mother. She summoned the police on him while he was asleep.
That is when CPS called us.
When he came to live with us, he could not even look up. He did not believe we could love him. But he was not just a placement. He became part of our family.
He still struggles and has deep pain behind his smile, but he is learning to love and be loved. He now chooses to help others like him, such as kids who feel forgotten.
On October 31, 2019, she formally joined our family. On December 18, he celebrated one year sober.
His name is Tim. He is our son. And we are so proud of him.
