“Open adoption? What’s that?”
There were a lot of things Russell and his wife, Jammie, misunderstood about modern adoption when they first stepped into an agency. Years of longing for parenthood and failed infertility treatments had left them heartbroken and discouraged. The idea of adopting brought them a lot of needed encouragement, but they soon realized that they were just one couple waiting on a list of 921 other couples with the same agency.
The day finally came when they received that long-awaited letter from a young expecting mother-to-be, but there was a big problem. Her teenage boyfriend didn’t want to parent, but he also refused to sign any adoption papers. Would she be forced to drop out of school at age fifteen to raise this child, or could she find a way to solve this dilemma? Would this hurdle even be the toughest problem to solve during the journey?
Bringing the child home for the first time is actually just the beginning of their story. Open adoption means so much more than that. It means that their relationship together would go on and on. It means that Russell and Jammie’s family tree now includes the birth parents and their extended family. This true and inspiring story is such a roller coaster ride of emotions that you would think it was fiction.
"Open Adoption, Open Heart delves deep into the adoption experience of adoptive parents while recognizing all members of the adoption triad. It is a beautiful story of love, loss and the creation of a new family." --Karen White, President of Forever Families Foundation NFP Open Adoption Support
There were a lot of things Russell and his wife, Jammie, misunderstood about modern adoption when they first stepped into an agency. Years of longing for parenthood and failed infertility treatments had left them heartbroken and discouraged. The idea of adopting brought them a lot of needed encouragement, but they soon realized that they were just one couple waiting on a list of 921 other couples with the same agency.
The day finally came when they received that long-awaited letter from a young expecting mother-to-be, but there was a big problem. Her teenage boyfriend didn’t want to parent, but he also refused to sign any adoption papers. Would she be forced to drop out of school at age fifteen to raise this child, or could she find a way to solve this dilemma? Would this hurdle even be the toughest problem to solve during the journey?
Bringing the child home for the first time is actually just the beginning of their story. Open adoption means so much more than that. It means that their relationship together would go on and on. It means that Russell and Jammie’s family tree now includes the birth parents and their extended family. This true and inspiring story is such a roller coaster ride of emotions that you would think it was fiction.
"Open Adoption, Open Heart delves deep into the adoption experience of adoptive parents while recognizing all members of the adoption triad. It is a beautiful story of love, loss and the creation of a new family." --Karen White, President of Forever Families Foundation NFP Open Adoption Support
