Daralyn's Story
Published June 15, 2009 @ 08:48AM PT
After 20 years of hoping, Daralyn thought her dream of raising children may never come true. So, she used her passion for youth to volunteer at a local drug and alcohol treatment center for adolescents; there, she found sisters Jessica and Ashley – young teens struggling without stability, without love.
Once Daralyn learned they were available for adoption, she immediately welcomed them into her family, relying on training and resources provided by CHS. She learned valuable techniques to prepare her to care for children with frightening pasts and uncertain futures, and her natural gift for motherhood shone.
But that was just the beginning.
Daralyn soon received a call she’d long hoped for – two precious toddlers needed a family.
Without hesitation, she brought Alisha and Alia into her growing family. After suffering severe abuse at the hands of their birth parents, the little girls had been living in separate foster homes. Just months later, Daralyn adopted them as well.
“They always come in pairs,” Daralyn says. “I like to reunite, to keep siblings together.”
It wasn’t long before CHS called Daralyn again. This time, she opened her home to newborn twins born addicted to drugs, both suffering from horrific withdrawal symptoms. Continuing to draw upon support and education from CHS, Daralyn cared for the innocent babies, nurturing and loving them while they shook and screamed.
A year later, she adopted the twins. And though she still welcomed foster children, she doubted she would adopt any more.
Until Angelo arrived. As Daralyn mentored his birth mother, they both realized she wasn’t ready to parent her baby. She soon asked Daralyn to adopt him, too.
Now with five little ones under her roof and her two grown daughters starting families of their own, Daralyn will complete her family as she finalizes the adoption of her teen foster daughter.
“It’s like a mission,” Daralyn says. “I’ve always wanted children, always wanted to be a helper, a rescuer. That’s just my heart.”
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