Almost exactly one year ago, Stuart and I (Sydney) went to KidSave’s annual Hike for Your Heart event in Los Angeles after watching ‘The Day I Picked My Parents’ on Hulu. We planned to volunteer as “Weekend Hosts” for a teenager in out of home care (foster care). We knew that every year after a child turns 9, their chance of achieving permanency—finding their "forever family"—significantly decreases. We were 100% certain we didn't want to (and felt we weren't able to) adopt, but we did want to serve as advocates, helping a child find their family. We went through 15 hours of host family training prior to attending the hike. On the way to the hike, we promised each other, "17+ yrs old and host only!"
In our wildest dreams, we never could have imagined what happened next. We were placed into groups and went on the actual hike portion of the event. Afterward, we sat down to enjoy lunch. Seated near me was a magical looking child. I invited the child, who was not part of their group, to join them for lunch. The child introduced themself as Aadyluna. Stuart and I sat and talked with Luna for awhile. Eventually, we stepped away. I was nervous to talk to Stuart because I had figured out something almost immediately upon meeting Luna. I knew this 11 year old child was my daughter. When we were out of ear shot, Stuart said, "um...are we her parents?" I almost burst into tears. I couldn't believe he felt the same thing I did.
At the end of the event, they had prospective host families and kids fill out forms indicating who they felt a connection with. Stuart and I put down Aadyluna's name and checked the box "interested in hosting" and then the box we never could have imagined we’d be checking, "interested in adoption." We went home hoping that Luna had put our names down, too. That night, we applied to be a resource family (foster family) in hopes that we'd one day get the chance to at least host Luna. In reality, we didn't know if we'd ever see her again.
Fast forward 20 hours of RFA Training, a home study, a few more weekend events with Luna, and countless emails to KidSave and every DCFS social worker we could find contact info for. We were a few weeks away from completing our home study when we got a call from a social worker. It was December 5. Stuart and I were just finishing up our lunch breaks at work. Almost immediately the social worker said, "were you serious about being open to Aadyluna moving in?" Our hearts nearly pounded out of our chests as we told the social worker yes. We learned that Luna would be moving in at 530 pm THAT NIGHT! I burst into tears and ditched my high school students (with another teacher, of course!) to set up Luna's bedroom.
8 months ago we became a family. 12 months ago, Stuart and I had absolutely no plans to have children. We wouldn't even consider *hosting* a child under 17! But then we met our daughter, the little butterfly who landed on our shoulders and shattered our whole universe and everything we thought we knew.
This hike is so special to our family. As we near the end of the long adoption process, we would be honored if you’d join us in celebrating our sweet kiddo at this event. If you’re unable to, please consider making a donation to KidSave through our fundraising page in honor of Luna. You can also share our page with anyone you think may be interested in the event or the organization.
Celebrate Family | Celebrate Love | Hike With Your Heart
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