Judy & Pedro’s Adoption Story

From a young age, Judy* felt called to help vulnerable children. She dreamed of becoming a social worker before ultimately pursuing a career in special education. When she met her husband, Pedro*, that calling only grew stronger. Together, they even attempted to start a foster care ministry within their church.

Later in life, when the couple tried to grow their family, they faced unexpected challenges. Still, their desire to provide a child with love, safety, and the comfort of family remained. After extensive research, Judy and Pedro became foster parents in 2018.

Then Hannah came into their lives. 

Hannah* entered foster care as a baby after experiencing severe trauma and neglect. When she arrived at Judy and Pedro’s home, she was restless, unable to speak, and had never known true stability.

Judy and Pedro devoted themselves to meeting Hannah’s needs. They worked closely with the Department of Family Services and every professional involved in her case–including her CASA. Because the goal for most children in foster care is reunification, the couple made sure Hannah remained connected to her biological family by supporting and facilitating visits.

Judy recalls the uncertainty that comes with being a foster parent: 

She was in foster care for a long time, and there was never a promise of what the next day, next month, or next year would look like. It’s a very hard state to live in. On one hand, it’s difficult because you never have answers, but on the other hand, you have to live as fully as you can in each moment—because you don’t know if you’ll get another.

And still, they showed up for every milestone and made every celebration extra special.

Every Christmas I would say, ‘This might be our first and maybe only Christmas with him, so let’s get the pictures with Santa and let’s go big.’

When reunification was no longer possible, Judy and Pedro began the path toward adoption. Looking back, Judy says witnessing Hannah’s transformation has been the greatest reward.

The best thing about all of this is seeing how much it can change a child’s life. She is not at all the same little girl she was when she first came to us. And honestly, I don’t know who she would have become if she had stayed in the situation she was in.

A few years after the adoption was finalized, Hannah is flourishing.

She is a bright, confident little girl who’s learning her letters, and experiencing the happy, healthy childhood she deserves.

*Names have been changed for confidentiality purposes.