They say that what’s meant to be will always find a way. However, not everyone believes in fate and destiny. But learning about Katie’s extra-ordinary story might just change your mind. After all, how else could the two babies she adopted a year apart turn out to be biological siblings if not for fate?
According to her story she submitted to Love What Matters, it was four years ago that Katie Page realized she was not the woman she wanted to be.
“Four years ago I was a recently divorced woman in her early thirties struggling to find my way… I remember literally looking in the mirror one day and sobbing at the woman I saw. I knew I was not the woman my heart desired to be. I committed to changing my life and making a life that was fulfilling and one I was proud of…” Katie confessed.
To rebuild herself, Katie changed jobs and bought a fixer upper. The home she bought was a spacious 4 bedroom which she knew then was meant for more. While in the process of revamping her home, her interest was caught by an informational session about foster care through an email she received from their pastor.
Katie shared how she knew nothing about it but felt the need to learn more. And since her hands are already occupied with the house renovations, Katie decided to ask help from her mom.
“‘Would you go with me to this informational session about foster care’ She said ‘WHAT?!’” Katie shared her mom’s initial reaction towards her newfound interest.
Due to the sudden changes happening in her life like her new job and new home, her mom felt that a foster child is the last thing that Katie needed. However, after attending the informational session, Katie just could not shrug foster care off her mind. Lo and behold, by Mother’s Day of 2015, she finally submitted an application that would allow her to be a foster mom.
Upon the approval of her application, Katie began taking care of and looking after children who were traumatized by unfortunate experiences. After her 4th foster child, a 13-month-old bouncing baby boy, Katie realized that she’s quite ready for something more permanent.
It was during this point that she was asked to care for a 4-day-old baby boy who was abandoned at a hospital.
“He had drug exposure, but was not showing signs of withdrawal and would be ready to discharge the next day. I immediately called her back and said ‘I want him! Give me five minutes and please don’t call anyone else.’” Katie recalled how her son, Grayson, wound up at her doorstep.
Once again, Katie found herself enlisting the help of her ever supportive mom. 24 hours later after the call, Katie walked out of the hospital with an adorable baby boy. Since the baby boy’s biological mom quickly left the hospital hours after giving birth, Katie took it upon herself to name the baby.
“I looked at the list of baby names I had been collecting over the years and decided to give him my top choice ‘Grayson’ because by God’s grace I now had a son (potentially for forever).” Katie shared.
For the next months, Katie nurtured Grayson while the care workers tried to track down his biological mom. Sadly, no matter how hard they tried to look for her, their efforts were futile.
“No one answered the ad posted in the newspaper or came back to the hospital in search of the boy,” Katie continued.
“Part of me was relieved that no one came forward, so that he would be mine forever with no opposition.” Katie confessed. “But there was always a pit in my stomach about one day having to tell my son no one showed up at his termination hearing.”
“Finally, on the day he turned 11 months old he legally became Grayson and I officially became a mother.” Katie said, sharing the bittersweet news. “My heart broke that day in both joy and sadness, but little did we know our adventure together was just beginning.”
Due to his early drug exposure, Grayson struggled both developmentally and physically. Because of this, Katie wanted to wait for at least a year and a half before taking in another foster child. However, in just two weeks after the official adoption, she was asked by her caseworker if she could look after another 4-day-old baby like she did with Grayson… only this time the baby is a girl!
Just like her adopted son, the baby girl has been exposed to drugs and was abandoned at the same hospital. Four hours after the phone call, the abandoned baby girl was welcomed into her home.
“Her drug exposure and medical condition was identical to Grayson’s so I thought to myself ‘You can do this, you have done it before’,” Katie said, boosting her confidence.
While taking care of the newborn baby, Katie noticed how the name of the little girl’s biological mom, found on her bracelet, was very much alike with Grayson’s.
Thinking there was something more about it, Katie decided to check the discharge papers from the hospital were the two babies were born and discovered that the birth date of their mothers were also the same.
It was then that Katie had the idea that the two have the same mother.
“My roommate and I were looking at each other wondering if we were thinking the same thing: ‘Could they have the same mother?’” Katie recalled.
Katie immediately shared her findings to her caseworker. However they thought that she was simply crazy.
Determined to see if her hunch was right, Katie was able to track down baby girl’s biological mother and reached out to her. During their meeting, Katie was able to confirm what her guts were telling her. Indeed, Katie and Grayson are biological siblings!
As it turned out, Grayson’s birth mom confirmed that she had one more child which the authorities were not aware of, a baby boy who did not live with her. In addition, Katie noted the striking resemblance between Grayson and his biological mom. A week later, Katie asked her caseworker to meet the baby girl’s birth mom.
“She was cautious and seriously thought this really can’t be,” Katie explained. “But she called me shortly after the meeting and said, ‘Katie, I think you’re right! Her story breaks my heart and I can’t believe it but I am 90 per cent sure you are right and this is a miracle.’”
After some research, it has been confirmed that indeed, the children under Katie’s foster care are biological siblings. Katie, who was at the office when she was informed about it, shared how she cried in the middle of her work.
“What if Baby Girl had gone to another family?” Katie thought. “We would have never found her or Grayson’s mother. The connection would have never been made! I could not believe the miracle that had just happened.”
Just this December, Hannah officially joined her biological brother, Grayson, after being adopted by Katie. But Katie and the siblings story do not end here, because Grayson and Hannah’s biological mother has given birth to another bundle of joy. Katie is hopeful that she will be able to adopt the baby boy by 2019.
Be it a matter of fate or just pure coincidence, one cannot deny how miraculous the turn of events are! Regardless, the fact that Katie is willing and enthusiastic to be the nurturing mother of these wonderful children already makes their story beautiful!
There are over 400,000 children in foster care longing to have a warm home and a loving family. Share Katie’s story that shows how beautiful a family made by love can be!
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