After Finding Out the Truth About Her Adopted CHILDREN
For several reasons, there are children being funneled into foster care. Fortunately, there are also many people in this world who are willing to lend a helping hand.
Katie Page is one of the foster parents who know that it is a role that goes beyond providing food and lodging to a child.
Having discovered her life-long mission, she took the leap and decided to officially adopt a child in her fostered care. A year later, there was a call again and she was more than excited to welcome a second child in her home.
However, in the process of adoption, she discovered something about the child which she was not ready for and did not expect.
Starting Over Again
After a tumultuous marriage and a heartbreaking divorce, Katie Page of Parker, Colorado decided that she will lead everything in her life differently. She was then a submissive woman who could not decide for herself. However, the things that happened to her in the past had made such an impact.
Katie felt so alone when she divorced her husband in her early 30s. At her twenties, she had her life perfectly planned as if it is on a blueprint. However, there is something in her that just did not go as smoothly as planned.
Unfortunate Circumstance
Despite being a healthy and active woman, Katie had suffered infertility issues. Although she did not blame it as the sole reason her marriage fell apart, somehow, she knew that it was one of the causes.
Katie remembered so many nights when she had to cradle herself to sleep. She had shed so many tears knowing that her dream to be a mother is almost impossible. She wanted to bear a child like any other woman, but due to unfortunate natural circumstances, she was not able to do it. When her marriage eventually ended, she had no clue that it was just the beginning of another amazing chapter in her life.
Living All Alone
Determined to start a new, Katie Page gave up everything that could remind her of what happened in the past. She quit her job and decided to buy a new house. It was like starting from nothing all over again but at least, she had something to do. At the height of her loneliness, Katie felt that she wanted to do something different in her life. However, she was unsure of what that “something” meant. In hopes of finding the answer, she went on and started renovating the newly bought property into her dream home.
An Unexpected Message
Katie Page has the money to hire professionals who can help her renovate her house. However, she opted to do the things on her own as a way of relieving her stress. Moreover, she wanted to see something beautiful that was created by her own hands. However, her mother could not leave her all alone and volunteered to help her with some cleaning.
After a few weeks, Katie was beginning to see some changes. Still, it was not enough. One day, she was in the middle of tearing out old cabinets and ripping up the slightly ruined floors when she received an unexpected message on her email.
Interesting Subject
Amidst the emails which were work-related, there was a particular message in her inbox that caught her attention. It was from her local church and the message had something to do with fostering a child. Personally, Katie did not know anyone who fostered children, nor did she have some friends who were raised in a foster home.
Although feeling clueless about it, Katie could not fool herself that the subject had awakened a soft spot in her heart. In her mind, she was already planning to call back to the number provided by the pastor. Despite her mother’s advice to first think things over, Katie went on and made the call.
It is Now or Never
Katie was struggling to build her life once again. There were still so many things to finish in her new house, she was working as a full-time employee and fostering a child was not even on the list in the first place. Although she had dreams of becoming a mother despite infertility issues, the timing was not exactly right
.Despite words of warnings from the people close to her, Katie never felt discouraged. When her mother had seen how determined she was, she even accompanied Katie to the fostering session. Katie admitted that everything she heard about fostering a child had given her the chills. However, there was something unexplainable about it that she could not stop thinking about.
Welcoming New Adventures
Katie was not sure of how she would balance her time as a single full-time employee and as a foster mother. But whenever she closed her eyes, she pictured out the idea of taking on children that needed help. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced to do it.
In 2015, exactly on the day dedicated to all the mothers in the world, Katie completed her application as well as the necessary documents required from a foster parent. That “Mother’s Day” was marked now as the beginning of her new adventures as a foster mom.
A Discovered Passion
After barely a year of dedicating a part of her life as a foster mother, Katie Page had taken care of four foster children. The youngest was a 13-month-old baby. The children were all kind and sweet and they filled a hole in her heart. However, when she received another call from her fellow caseworker that another baby needed some help, Katie did not have the heart to say no.
The baby was abandoned by his mother at a hospital. He had drug exposure and was likely to be funneled into a foster-to-adopt situation. Her caseworker also said that the baby boy was not showing signs of withdrawal. Moreover, he was ready to be discharged on the following day. Without second thoughts or whatsoever, Katie told the caseworker that she would have him.
Making Things Happen
After the call, only then did Katie realize how she would make things possible. The baby in the hospital was just 4 days old at that time and he needed as much attention as he could get. Katie knew she had only one choice.
Frantically, Katie phoned her mother and asked her to live with her for the next few months. She had no idea how to take care of a newborn baby. Fortunately, her mother came to the rescue. For Katie, it all happened so fast – barely 24 hours after the call she went out of the hospital with the newborn baby in her arms.
Hard but Happy
Every mother knows that raising a child is never easy. Others can easily say how beautiful it is to have a child; however, some do not have the idea of how hard it could be. Katie Page was nowhere different. Aside from the other children she fosters, which includes a 13-month-old baby, taking care of a newborn baby was not an easy feat.
Sometimes, she contemplated on the idea of being a carefree woman once again, less the hassles, less the responsibilities, less the effort. However, whenever she looked at the newborn baby who was abandoned by his mother after birth, she knew that she could make a significant difference in his life.
A Strong Desire
The foster child brought so much joy and meaning to Katie’s life. Yes, the journey was not easy and yet at the end, she always felt content and complete. Finally, the answer she had been looking for so many years had finally dawned on her.
One day, Katie realized that she could do more than taking on temporary placement. Her desire to give a child a permanent home grew persistently with each passing day. With the coming of the new baby, her dream had materialized in front of her. She would adopt the baby boy. For a start, Katie named him Grayson.
Hoping for a Lifetime
Katie chose the name Grayson because it means God’s grace. Although the authorities in her community did not cease in finding the biological parents of the baby boy, deep in her heart, she knew that she wanted him to be her son forever.
For the months that followed, Katie was feeling a mixture of fear and excitement. She wanted to find out about the baby’s parents. She even posted ads in the newspaper. However, nobody got a lead. Although she wanted to have him with no opposition, her heart ached as she thought of the future when she would have to tell Grayson that no one showed up at his termination hearing.
Giving All of Her
After 11 months of the search going nowhere, the court had legalized the adoption. On the papers, the boy was named Grayson and Katie Page became his mother. On that day, there was a mixture of joy and sadness. However, Katie knew that their adventure together was about to begin.
Since he was exposed to drugs as a baby, Grayson showed signs of developmental struggles. His physical health also needs double attention. With his utmost interest in mind, Katie had to temporarily stop accepting potential placements. She wanted to give all her time and attention to her son who desperately needed her.
Opening Once Again
After a year and a half, Grayson showed signs of being a healthy and active little boy. Having been adjusted to the life of a full-time mom, Katie realized that she was ready to foster children again.
When she announced that her home was open for foster care again, she was flooded with calls and emails. However, she prioritized emergency short term placements for the meantime. Judging by the situation at her home, she knew she was not ready to accept long-term placement. It would take her a few years. However, one day, her caseworker called her, and the subject of her message was just too hard to resist.
Emergency Placement
The caseworker asked her first about Grayson’s adoption. When she said that everything was going fine, she then told her about the case of a four-day-old baby girl with drug exposure. Moreover, she desperately needed placement that afternoon.
Katie found out that the baby girl was in the same hospital where she met Grayson. In an instant, the memory of when she saw the abandoned boy for the first time came back to her. She felt the same chills in her bones. Katie was feeling overwhelmed, yet she could not drop the call. Before it ended, she said “Yes” to the co-worker.
Welcoming Another Baby
In a matter of four hours after the fateful call, Katie Page and Grayson welcomed a baby girl in their home. The caseworkers proceeded to inspect the house and were satisfied. Then, they told her the minute details they had about the child.
Although things happened too fast, Katie kept on reassuring herself that everything would be fine. She had done it with Grayson and the second time around would not be that hard. She had a young woman whom she considered her roommate who helps her with the house chores and in one way or another, Katie was certain they could manage.
An Odd Discovery
After the caseworkers left, Katie and her roommate proceeded to make dinner. Then, she worked on gathering some donations for the newly arrived baby such as clothes. Then, just as she was about to call it a night, she decided to review the discharge papers of the baby.
When her eyes came across the date of the mother listed on the document, she instantly frowned. She did a second look and slowly, an odd thought began to shape in her mind. She asked her roommate to look after the children while she was checking out Grayson’s documents. It turned out that Grayson’s mother and the baby girl’s mother were born only a day apart. Without further ado, she told her roommate what she was thinking.
No Resemblance
“Is it possible that they have the same mother?” This question had lingered on Katie’s mind after her odd discovery. She looked at her son. He is a half African American with dark curly hair and darker skin. On the other hand, the baby girl has straight red-blonde hair and pale white skin tone. The notion in her mind seemed crazy.
Katie’s mind was not going to stop right there. So, she checked the baby girl’s bracelet and found out that her mother’s name was the same as Grayson’s mother. When she compared the different documents more thoroughly, Katie realized she needed to confirm something.
Finding More Details
Without hesitation, Katie called Grayson’s caseworker. When she told her about her suspicions, she was certain they would think she had gone crazy. However, that was the least of her worries. The following morning, Katie pleaded with the intake worker to tell her more about the baby girl. She found out that the biological mother wanted to regain custody and was interested in visiting her daughter in her foster home. Moreover, the intake worker told her that the biological mother had multiple children and some of them were funneled into adoption in the neighboring counties.
Analyzing the Period of Time
Katie was able to determine the period between the biological mother’s last two known children. It occurred to her that it was possible that the same woman had conceived and delivered her son. However, no one seemed to think that her suspicions made sense.
Katie was left with no choice but to wait for the day she would take the baby girl to her biological mother for her first visit. She was excited and nervous at the same time. In her mind, what would happen if it turned out that she was also the mother of Grayson?
Uncanny Resemblance
When Katie was introduced to the baby girl’s biological mother, other thoughts were on her mind. In an instant, she knew that she had come face to face with Grayson’s mother. However, she was thoughtful and asked her a few questions.
“How many children do you have?” It was the first question. She asked a follow-up question on how many boys; how many girls there were. Again, the mother answered honestly. In those brief five minutes, the mother explained circumstances of her life that helped Katie understand. Katie could not hold back the tears. Before parting, the mother gave her some candy and a gift for the little angel.
Yearning for Confirmation
Katie thought that the woman was just as beautiful as her son. Although she is almost a hundred percent sure, she wanted to justify her thoughts. So, she called her caseworker again and told her everything about her speculations.
Less than an hour later, the caseworker called back. She said that they carried out their own investigation and found out that the last name the mother gave with Grayson’s birth was the same as the baby girl. Both Katie and the caseworkers were stunned. It was a miracle.
Extremely Thankful
After the call, Katie cried in a mixture of delight and relief. Several thoughts came running in her mind. What if she had said yes to the other temporary placements that were offered to her and had no chance to take in the baby girl?
Upon thinking, Katie realized that fate had played its part. The baby girl was meant to come to her to be with her biological brother. There were many foster parents in the area, and it was amazing that destiny had led the little girl to her doors. At that moment, Katie felt certain it was a God’s calling.
Binding Truth
Katie took one last step to be sure that Grayson and the baby girl, whom she named Hannah, were indeed siblings. The two underwent a DNA test.
The result confirmed that the two babies share the same biological mother. The two babies were abandoned at the hospital, and they were reunited, thanks to an unseen force that led them to safety, that being Katie’s house. Now, there is just one decisive step to take.
Making Everything Official
Just as she did to Grayson, Katie Page had no doubts of welcoming Hannah into her life. On December 28, 2018, she officially adopted Hannah. Her mother, her roommate, her friends, and even the caseworkers were extremely amazed at her compassion and generosity.
Looking at Grayson and Hannah, Katie felt the hole in her life slowly being patched. She had always questioned her purpose in life and whenever she looks at her son and daughter, the answers are clear.
A House Becomes a Home
Looking back, the four-bedroom house she bought years ago was like a barren land, big but empty. Today, there are two children who are bringing light and joy into space. Their adventures together were not always rainbows and butterflies. However, with a little help from her family and friends, she knows they will always be all right.
Katie, despite having two little children, is still open for temporary placement calls. She had discovered her passion and purpose along the way, and she will continue to help children in need for as long as she can. Everyone around her already thinks that she is an angel!
A Moment to Cherish
With all her excitement, relief, and gratefulness, Katie cannot help but put the experience into writing. She just could not believe the coincidence and was sure that she had something nice to tell when her son and daughter grew up.
With her roommate’s encouragement, the story was submitted by Katie to Love What Matters. In a matter of hours, the post had been re-shared many times. The beauty of foster care and adoption had been re-shared many times, and adoption was at its finest!
Worth Sharing
The story of Grayson and Hannah is something that can catch anyone’s interest easily. Who would have thought that these two children abandoned at the hospital would be able to see each other again? What is more amazing is that Katie will guide them and take care of them as they grow side by side.
The amazing story quickly captured the attention of the media and Katie was invited to share the miracle at Good Morning America. Aside from sharing her happiness, she also encouraged everyone who has the resources, the kindness, and the compassion to lend a helping hand to everyone in need, especially to helpless children.
Another on the Way
Every day spent with Grayson and Hannah is pure joy for Katie. The children always remind her that motherhood is such a sacred profession. Moreover, she had started to develop a friendship with the biological mother and was doing her best to help her get back on track as well.
When Hannah turned 13 months old, they found out that there was another baby on the way. Unlike the first two that were helplessly abandoned at the hospital, Katie made sure that she would help the mother if she were not capable of raising the baby alone. She even said that her house will always be open for the other sibling!
