When everything you’ve tried has failed and you’ve waited longer than you had ever imagined, where will you find the motivation to continue to try and adopt? If you’ve reached your lowest point, will you be able to push through? We all want to believe that if we do everything right on our adoption journey, things will work out in the end. But if that journey takes you to unexpected places, with more obstacles than you can count, will you give up hope or keep trying?
From the commonplace to the totally unusual, here is the story of one family who seems to have endured it all and decided to keep trying. A family that not only joined Adoptimist but one that truly embodies the spirit of hope and endurance that inspired our name. It’s a story that sounds like an adoption meme come to life. And one you won't want to miss.
Meet Crystal and Chris, AKA Family #74 on their agency’s wait list. Like many adoptive parents, Crystal and Chris were certain they were ready to start a family but uncertain about adoption. Their amazing drive to create a family through adoption includes overcoming an array of unforeseen obstacles including:
• Crystal's diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) at the age of 16
• Infertility
• 7 miscarriages
• 8 embryos lost by their IVF clinic
• COVID restrictions
• Over sixty attorney interviews & rejections
• Multiple cross-country trips
• An unpredictable and troubled birth parent relationship
Any of these obstacles might have derailed a family’s adoption dreams. And understandably so. But somehow Crystal and Chris persevered through all of it. And despite being reluctant to enter into an open adoption, it was that openness that led them into an improbable second adoption with the very same birth parents. Now the proud parents of two young adopted siblings, Crystal and Chris are ready to share their adoption story with others in the hopes of inspiring more adoptive parents to keep trying, to keep going. No matter what. And if they could do it, you can too.
"It can happen. It will happen. Trust your journey. Listen to yourself. And keep going." - Crystal
"Everyone is going to deal with something. Everybody is going to have their opinion, their two cents. We didn't let that impact our resolve and determination to build a family " - Chris
Crystal and Chris' Facebook page
Adoptimist is the pioneer in online adoption connections and marketing. As the first dedicated adoption profile service of its kind, Adoptimist pioneered internet adoption connections and has helped create hundreds of families through adoption. For over a decade, Adoptimist has served the adoption community with thoughtful, ethical, and successful online tools. But being an Adoptimist isn't just about using technology in your adoption. It's a state of mind for adoptive parents - the balance of desire, hope, and smart strategizing / marketing.