Matthew’s Adoption Story
Despite the pandemic and its challenges, Michael and Jennifer O’Neil adopted. Matthew and fulfilled his dream of finding a forever home.
Re-learning and Re adapting
When Matthew was a young child, his birth father had abandoned him and his siblings. As the eldest kin, he had no choice but to parent himself and his younger brothers, while being placed in the foster care system. When Jennifer and Michael adopted Matthew, he was introduced back into having a family, but this time, his new family loved, cared for, and supported him. Additionally, both Jennifer and Michael’s real-time experiences working with youth and children helped Matthew seamlessly settle into his new home. Growing up, Matthew had fewer resources and support than other children his age. As a result, in Elementary School, he developed severe learning difficulties. It was then when Matthew was introduced to Jennifer in sixth grade to overcome his learning obstacles. Having a Special Education background, Jennifer was eager to help Matthew. With structured classes and supervision, he started showing improvements in just a few months. Today, Matthew has shown significant progress in his learning abilities and academic performance. Biggest Takeaways from CHOR’s Foster Care and Adoption Training. “One of the most striking moments for me in CHOR’s Foster Care and Adoption Program is knowing about the alarming rate of children placed in the foster care systems,” Mr. O’Neil said. Adding to her experience, Mrs. O’Neil said, “I have worked with foster children and foster families for many years as a teacher, but taking care of one changes your perspective. These children in the child welfare system carry so much trauma. They pack their whole lives in a bag as they move from one house to another. That causes so much pain, and they carry that sadness with them. There are lots of broken kids in need of families.”Thanks to families like the O’Neils, children like Matthew still have hope to envision a better life.
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