Posted November 06, 2024
Imagine you just finished a year of chemotherapy and are told by your team of doctors that you may not be able to have children naturally.
This was the reality for Scott, an adoptive parent.
"I had gone through about a year of chemotherapy, and I was told after I went through that process that there would probably be a likelihood of me not being able to have children naturally," Scott said.
Scott then started dating his now-wife, Samantha, and she introduced the idea of adoption.
"While we were dating and started talking more seriously about marriage, Samantha looked at me and told me, 'You know, I've always wanted to adopt.'" Scott said.
After discussing adoption more in-depth and having many conversations about it, Scott and Samantha decided to move forward and start their search for adoption agencies.
"His [Scott] cousin knew somebody that went through Catholic Charities, and they raved about it," Samantha said.
Samantha contacted the Adoption office and met with Ellen, an Adoption Social Worker, within two weeks.
During this part of the process, COVID restrictions were in full effect, and Scott and Samantha wanted to meet someone in person to talk.
"There's something that's lost through virtual [communication]," Scott said, "...we want to know that we're going to work with somebody who's going to know us, be in our home, see everything..."
After that meeting, Scott and Samantha got a call from Ellen saying that there was a birth mother who wanted to meet them.
"...the whole drive there, we were like, 'oh my gosh, what if she doesn't like us?', 'What if she does like us?', 'What can all this be?'" Samantha said.
While talking to the birth mother, Samantha shares how she kept mentioning the baby as "your [Scott and Samantha's] baby," which caught them off guard.
"Birth mother gets up and goes to the restroom... and we look at Ellen, and we're like, "Ellen, why does she keep saying our baby?" Samantha said.
It was then that Ellen had told them that they were selected to adopt the baby from this birth mother.
"We get into the car afterward, and we both are just sitting there in the car in the parking lot, and we're just like, 'What just happened?'" Samantha said.
From that moment on, Scott and Samantha began building a relationship with the birth mother.
According to Samantha, the birth mother invited them to come with her to her doctor's appointments and let them hear the baby's heartbeat and see the ultrasound.
"It was amazing to see and have that experience, and Ellen told us that's not something that always happens," Samantha said. "That was like such a blessing to us."
Not only did Scott and Samantha have Ellen's support, but their families also wanted to get involved and decided to throw them a baby shower.
Although they were a little hesitant at first, they decided to do it because they knew they would need stuff eventually, even if something were to happen with this adoption process.
By the end of the baby shower only a few family members were at Scott and Samantha's house, and they got a text from Ellen.
"I was in the house with the other moms, and he [Scott] was outside playing cornhole, and all of a sudden, Ellen sends us texts, 'She's in labor,'" Samantha said. "I said, 'Oh my gosh,' and everybody's like, 'What, what, what?'"
Samantha ignored them and went outside to tell Scott to look at his phone.
"I looked at my phone and I stare at it for a second and I look at Samantha. I ran over to her. I just grabbed her, lifted her up, and gave her a huge hug," Scott said.
After they told the rest of the family, it suddenly became all hands on deck.
"At that point, it was just frantic, 'Okay, what do you need?'" Scott said.
The following day, Samantha mentioned that 10 Amazon packages were at their front door from people who bought additional items they didn't get at the shower.
Three days later, Scott and Samantha brought home their daughter Sophia and welcomed her to their family.
Though it might not be everyone's first choice, adoption has many benefits.
"I think one of the benefits of adoption really is that you and the person that you're with, you really get a very deep, intimate connection..." Scott said. "We are way closer than we really ever were prior to this process."
At Catholic Charities, our Adoption Services assist and support birth families who may be scared, overwhelmed, or who simply want what's best for their child. We also help those looking to grow their families by assisting them through the adoption process.
To learn more about adoption services, click the button below.
Part of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
