The foster child, now four years old, was born to an unwed mother who was only 12 years old when she gave birth to the child. The biological mother was deaf and mentally handicapped. The child was born premature and the family of the biological mother left the child in the hospital, choosing not to take him home. He stayed in the hospital for 25 days to receive treatment for premature birth, then was transferred to a Child Care Institution. Due to his status at birth, he was legally free for adoption. He was to be placed with an adoptive family, however the child had a neck problem that caused multiple adoptive family placements to not be completed.

As part of an outreach program for potential foster parents, the foster couple was contacted by Foster Care Society. Once they were informed of what foster care is, they became interested in fostering. With support from FCS throughout the application process, they were notified that their household was fit to receive a foster child. The foster parents were joined by a one-and-a-half-year-old boy. The foster mother said, “after 26 years, I got a chance to become a mother and it touched my heart.” The family said that the adjustment period was about one and a half months. During this time, the child experienced new food, a different lifestyle, and learned how to interact with all of the new people in his life. The parents were so happy to change this child’s life by providing him with so many things that he had never had before.

The foster mother describes her favorite memory with the child as the first time he called her “mother”. He walked up to her and gave her a big hug when he said it. She stated that this was a beautiful day in her life.

The child has been living with the family for two and a half years now. The foster father is so proud of his foster son. The foster child is very attached to his foster father and enjoys waiting for him to get home from work every day so they can play together. The parents have seen tremendous social growth with the child. He is growing daily in his skills and loves attending family and community events.