As a veteran, I’ve had the opportunity to travel all over the world, yet the biggest miracle of my life was adopting Ian when he was just four days old. My husband and I always knew we wanted to adopt. We connected with Ian’s birth mother through an agency in Texas. When Ian was born on January 28th, a call summoned us to Texas. I answered to hear a woman’s voice say, “Hey Karen, can you hop on a plane and come get your newborn son?”
Military duties delayed our arrival until February 2. At about 10:30 p.m., Ian was placed in my arms, and the caseworker said, “Mom, here’s your son. He’s hungry and wet; here you go!” I was in love from that moment. Unfortunately, I couldn’t receive maternity leave from the military. I was forced to endure a month-long separation while we awaited his passport. Meanwhile, Ian’s father stepped into the role of primary caregiver.
When Ian’s dad and I decided to part ways, it was a big adjustment for our family. Ian had to shuffle between our homes, but we wrapped him in love and support to make the transition as smooth as possible. Ian’s early years were filled with love and adventure despite our challenges. However, as he entered middle school, his ADHD presented hurdles that the system failed to address adequately. He struggled academically, and I felt the middle school administration was unable to see Ian as the amazing human being that I saw.
But thank goodness we connected with Trish from the Coalition’s Educational Advocacy team. She truly saved his life! She was such a guiding force in getting Ian the support he needed to thrive when his school environment was challenging. At any given moment, Trish knew precisely what to do and how to strategize what systems to implement so he could experience the support he needed academically.