Dads Adopt 17-Year-Old Who Was Rejected By 9 Foster Families In 5 Years
Their adoption ceremony over Zoom had a huge audience of 80 friends and family.
He seemed too old to be adopted
After Michael’s mother died, he was taken into state custody and moved around from foster home to foster home. In five years, he’d spent time with nine different foster families.
But it was the tenth that proved to be the lucky number.
In 2019, Tennessee couple Chad and Paul Beanblossom, who’d been married for five years, fostered Michael.
Paul had three biological children of their own and they’d fostered children before — but Michael was different.
“When [Michael] came to us he was labeled a higher risk because he had [run away] before … but we’ve never [seen] that kid,” Chad Beanblossom told Good Morning America.
“He just kind of came in and took over our hearts. He’s taught us just as much, if not more, than we have him.”
“Our whole world revolves around Michael.”
They decided to become a family
One day, Michael asked the men to adopt him.
“We wanted the same thing that he did,” Chad said. “It’s really hard to imagine our life without him.”
Due to the pandemic, the adoption ceremony couldn’t be held in person. So, they did it over Zoom and 80 loves ones logged on to witness it.
“The judge mentioned it was the largest Zoom adoption she had done to date, Chad said.
A perfect fit
Allison Sayne, a family services worker who knew Michael, told Good Morning America that Paul and Chad have been a wonderful fit for the former orphan.
“Paul and Chad Beanblossom have been great at advocating for Michael and giving him opportunities that he may have not gotten otherwise,” she said. “This family had to undergo a tragedy of a house fire a month before Michael’s adoption, but they focused on the fact that they had each other and didn’t let it affect Michael’s adoption.”
“Michael and his parents’ main worry was being able to stay together,” she added. “I am so happy for Michael, Paul and Chad and am excited to see what the future holds.”
Patience pays off
It’s hard to imagine how frustrating it must have been for Michael to go through so many households without finding a match. But it sounds like it all worked out, proving that good things do eventually come to those who wait.
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