Troya Yoder is affectionately referred to as Yoder by the teenager with special needs she adopted.
Troya is a paraprofessional in education and works with school children; she met David when he was 13 and would spend time with him and his class during her recess.
When one of the Alabama school’s PE coaches pulled her aside and said her buddy David was being put up for adoption, she didn’t hesitate to say “we’ll adopt him.”
“The words literally just came out of my mouth. But the more I thought about it, I knew there was no way I was going to take a chance that he would find a good family. Why couldn’t we be his family?” she told Love What Matters.
She went home and told her husband and three older children and they were all supportive of her decision but Troya didn’t know where to start.
The adoption process was a long one, but despite the paperwork, getting the house ready, foster classes and even a lawyer contacting her to ask if she was sure this was what she wanted David finally moved in.
David had short visits to start with, just a few hours on a Friday afternoon and eventually progressed to weekends and then full time.
“The transition went so much easier than I ever imagined. I was really anxious about how he would adjust to a new home, new family, new schedule. Would he sleep? Did we have to worry about him running away? Would he cry? Would he be scared?” Troya said.
“But it turns out there was nothing to be nervous about. From day one, he acted like he had always lived here.”
David thrived in his new home with all the love and support he had from his new family. He learned to do things for himself that he had never been taught before such as making his own breakfast, taking his medicine and even brushing his hair.
His school work started to improve thanks to Troya’s dedication, she even discovered that his delayed speech and developmental disability was due to a rare chromosome disorder.
“Like everything else, we picked one thing and learned it and then moved on to the next thing. He was surprising me at every turn.”
His personality has come out and Troya says he has an amazing sense of humor, is making new friends and even enjoys the occasional sleep over “something he couldn’t have done a year ago.”
Troya says she knows hers and David’s paths were supposed to cross.
“In David’s words, ‘We were meant to be together, Yoder,’” she added.
“I don’t think any of us remember what life was like without David. He brings so much light and joy to our family without even trying. We are better and stronger because of him. There was a time when his social worker thought he would probably be put in a home when he turned 18. That makes me so sad. He has so much to offer and so much potential,” she said.
Such a beautiful story but it makes my heart ache to think of the kids who are written off and don’t find loving homes when they have so much to offer. David is reaching his full potential since Troya adopted him.
Please share this beautiful story of love and hope with your friends and family.
