"I felt like a mom who had to leave her child."
Story by Tiffany White | Photo: Jess Amburgey
When Brittany and Erik V. met Skylar, one of our St. Joe’s kids, through the Orphan Care Alliance, they couldn’t have imagined that a mentorship would lead to adoption. “[At first], she was very shy and would either keep her head down or she would have her shirt over her head, so she didn’t have to look at us,” says Brittany.
Then, their scheduled one-hour per week visits turned into extended stays together. They attended Sunday morning church service and Skylar joined a soccer team Erik coached. The threesome had become a family before the adoption papers were signed. “She hadn’t had very many adults that had been safe, that had poured into her and stayed with her. I think it was a different feeling for her to learn that she was going to be safe with us and to know that we were her people and would always have her back.”
While Erik was at youth camp with their church, Brittany describes a watershed moment she experienced with Skylar. “We had lunch and then went to the salon to get our nails done … when I dropped her off [at St. Joe’s] and got into my car, I started bawling, because I felt like I was a mom who had to leave her child … God was tugging on my heart for this to be more.”
Skylar was adopted August 6, 2025, and within the last three months, a new girl has emerged. “She [pulled out] her adoption quilt, and she hung it up in her room.” Every child receives a handmade quilt from the Sewing Society with their adoption date on it.
“Then she got our family pictures from Disney and some from the photo shoot [at St. Joe’s] and placed them on the wall next to it. She made sure we had family pictures in our room … to me, it felt like she’s accepting, like she’s fully accepting, or trying to fully accept who we are in her life, and that she feels safe enough to know that she’s not going to go anywhere … this is home.”
She had already been calling them Mom and Dad, but the gravity of those new titles had a profound effect on the couple. “When we were at the adoption [proceedings] the judge said, ‘Skylar, you’re older now. Your parents chose you [and] it wasn’t by chance. I want you to hit the gavel and say, “This adoption is final.”’ So, she did, and we were all laughing. And then the judge said, ‘OK, now I want you to turn to your parents, and give them a hug.’ She came over and said, ‘Love you Mom,’ and gave me a hug. And then she went to Erik and said, ‘Love you Daddy,’ and gave him a hug. That’s when it solidified in my head. I don’t know why … she had called me Mom before, but in that moment, I guess, because it was officially final, [I knew] nothing could change that.”
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This post was supported by funds made available by the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Office of Health Equity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, under RFA-OT21-2103. The content of this post are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of or endorsement by the Kentucky Department for Public Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.