Help Us Give DJ Her Permanent Family

Nine years ago, our lives changed forever.

A scared, quiet little girl named DJ came to live with us when she was just five years old. She had already endured more than any child should, neglect, trauma, hunger, and deep loss. Both of her parents are now deceased. At the time, we were licensed foster parents, and DJ had entered the system with nowhere stable to go.

After the first year, her mother made a heartbreaking but brave decision: she signed custody of DJ over to us to protect her from being bounced around the foster care system. She didn’t want her little girl to be moved from home to home and wanted her to stay with us. We were solid. We were ready. And we had the perseverance and love to take this child in and grow with her.

DJ came to us underweight and barely speaking. She didn’t know her letters or numbers. But what she did have was a tiny flicker of hope.

And we saw it. We nurtured it. We loved her from day one.

From the very beginning, she became our daughter in every way that truly matters. We taught her to talk, to write her name, to laugh again. We stood by her through therapies, school, and challenges big and small. We’ve celebrated birthdays, holidays, vacations and all the little victories that most people don’t see, but we cherish them deeply.

DJ is strong. She’s kind, thoughtful, and full of curiosity. She’s still healing. and probably always will be, but she is not alone anymore. She has us. She has love. She has a home.

Now, we want to give her what she’s never truly had: a legal, permanent family.

We’ve gotten enough to cover parts of the adoption process, including the Florida domestication and home study. But we need help with the final stretch, attorney fees, court costs, and legal filings, to finalize the adoption.

My wife works full-time as an elementary school student advisor. I’m disabled, but I volunteer regularly at her school and, when I’m able, I also serve as a substitute teacher. Being there for DJ and for kids like her is not just something we do, it’s who we are. But our income, while steady, isn’t enough to take on the final financial hurdle alone.

What we didn’t realize when we were given legal custody of DJ is that she lost all the benefits that come with being a foster child. Because of this, the system will no longer cover any part of her adoption. She is no longer eligible for state-assisted services, and we now have to complete the adoption entirely as a private case, without the support or financial help that foster children typically receive. It's heartbreaking, but we're determined to see it through.

If you can give any amount, it brings us closer to finally making DJ’s forever family official. She’s waited long enough.

Let’s give her the permanent family she has been wanting for a very long time.

With love and gratitude, Aj, Lisa, and DJ