When Trish and Kent finalized the adoption of their daughter Maggie from foster care through Amara in 2008, they decided to continue their adoption journey.

“One evening, we received a phone call from Amara and learned about Abbey. She was 18 months old and in foster care. She needed a foster-to-adopt family the next day. We hardly had any information about her except that she needed to go somewhere. And we thought, ‘why not here? Why not us?’“

Trish and Kent went the next day to pick Abbey up from the hospital. Her leg was broken and in a cast due to an accident. Their three-year-old daughter Maggie was excited to become a big sister. “This is Abbey and we got her from the doctor!” she told everyone.

“Surprisingly, Abbey adjusted much easier than the rest of our family did,” says Kent. “She was a happy child from day one and did amazingly well.”

After Abbey’s adoption was finalized, the family sent a letter and pictures to Abbey’s birth mother. “Abbey’s birth mother immediately wrote back telling us that she was extremely grateful knowing that Abbey was safe and in good hands.”

Trish and Kent feel very fortunate being the parents of the two girls. “We want them to become strong, smart women and to know that they’ll always be loved.”

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 The photo of Kent, Trish, Abbey and Maggie is courtesy of PhotoMura Images.