Paying our Miracle Adoption Moment Forward

The journey to parenthood, when it happens through adoption, often starts with a phone call. Ours came after a yearlong wait, one night in May 2011, when my husband Thomas and I were out to dinner with friends.

None of us at the table thought twice when Thomas stepped away to take a phone call. But when he came back, I could tell by the shocked look on his face that he had big news.

“Our son was just born. He’s waiting for us,” he said in awe. “The social worker wants to know how quickly we can get to the hospital.”

We had felt a call in our hearts to adoption after marrying later in life and learning that biologically we couldn’t have children. We bypassed fertility treatments and immediately began filling out adoption paperwork. And then the waiting began.

In the world of private adoption, you submit your paperwork, story and photos for consideration by birth mothers or birth parents. They review applications from a number of families and a social worker contacts you if the birthparents choose you to raise the child.

You have no idea how long it will take for this miracle to happen or when the call will come that literally changes your life. We had been hoping, praying and waiting for our child for what felt like such a long time and suddenly finding out he was now waiting for us was unbelievable.

Thinking of that moment still gives us goosebumps. We were delighted, thrilled, and giddy and we had no idea what to do first. We hugged our friends, left the restaurant and walked past a bakery on our way home. Thomas suddenly ran inside and came back with a cupcake. ‘We have to celebrate our son’s 1st day,’ I remember him saying, as I burst into tears, too excited to take more than a bite.

By then it was late in the evening so we told some friends the exciting news, made a quick run for supplies and the next morning we got up early and drove through three states to meet our son.

He was beautiful. Perfect. Ours. We fell in love the moment we saw him and our lives instantly and forever changed for the better as soon as he was in our arms.

We checked our sweet boy out of the hospital and moved into a local hotel while we waited for the adoption paperwork to be completed so we could bring him home. And that first night, the adoption agency informed us we’d need to come in the next day to sign some more papers and give them a check for several thousand dollars to cover last minute fees.

Private adoption can be expensive and families, including ours, save up the money to make it possible. Even so, as we discovered, those last minute and unexpected costs can be very challenging when you can’t immediately access the considerable amounts often needed at a moment’s notice. It was a Sunday. Banks were closed. Our family was out of state and they’d tried three different ways to wire us the money but couldn’t get it to us in time. We couldn’t put it on a credit card and we don’t keep that much in our checking account.

So that first night with our son, in between marveling over him and cuddling and feeding him, I also remember the incredible stress Thomas and I felt as we worried about finances. After hours of brainstorming late into the night and with no solution in sight, I signed into our online accounts in one final act of desperation to see if we could access a line of credit.

And that’s when I discovered a miracle.

A surprise bonus for my performance at work that I didn’t know was coming from my job at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had been added to my paycheck, without notice or fanfare – on Friday, just two days earlier. It was the exact amount we needed to pay the agency and it arrived at exactly the right time. I know that sounds unbelievable but miracles abound in adoption and this was one of them. We believe our son was God-given and this is additional proof of that.

Today our son is almost 8 and the joy of our lives. And though many years have passed, I can assure you Thomas and I have not forgotten the immense gratitude and relief we felt to have our family’s prayer answered that first night we became parents. Because I know the power of that feeling, I can’t help but want to pay it forward to other growing families.

So it’s a thrill to get that opportunity now as a new member of the Gift of Adoption Fund’s Capital Region Board of Directors. This volunteer-driven charity provides adoption assistance grants of between $1,000 and $10,000 to give vulnerable children a permanent home and a chance to thrive and to relieve the stress of their parents at an already heightened emotional moment.

Please consider making a donation to this year’s fundraising efforts to ensure that other families don’t have the kind of incredible stress that Thomas and I experienced several years ago.

Your donation will become another family's miracle and I speak from personal experience when I say - that is truly a priceless gift.

Ashley Wilson is the chief tax/pension lobbyist for the world's largest business federation. In this role, she represents the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions before Congress and the Administration. Connect with her on Twitter @ashleywilsonCOC.

For more information about our donation efforts, visit: https://giftofadoption.org/ashleyw/

For more information about Gift of Adoption, visit https://giftofadoption.org/