Foster care in the United States can be harsh, especially for siblings who are separated.
Two young boys were placed in separate foster homes for several years. They only saw each other every month. The siblings were eager to live together again after taking some time to recover from their ordeal. Finally, a guy adopted both of them simultaneously in July 2018, fulfilling their dreams. After so many years of separation, the family was finally able to be together again.
Ke’lynn and Tre are the boys’ names, and they were 10 and 7 years old when they went on a broadcast in October 2017 to relay their tragic experience. They had been in Texas Child Protective Services’ custody for almost three and a half years, spending almost all of that time in separate foster homes.
When the lads finally saw each other, they were overcome with emotion and sobbed. They longed for the day when they would be together permanently. Dr. Robert Beck offered to do everything he could to help these guys realize their dream of reuniting in November 2017.
After seeing the newscast and hearing the children’s heartbreaking story, Beck decided that he wanted to be the one to care for them and give them a permanent home. Beck, Tre, and Ke’lynn became a family in July 2018, when Beck unexpectedly adopted both boys at the same time.
In October 2017, Tre and Ke’lynn were featured on WFAA’s Wednesday’s Child Report program, where they shared their painful story of growing up in different foster homes as they dealt with their early childhood trauma. Only seeing each other once a month, they wished to remain forever united since they were their sole possession. Ke’lynn said, “I wish I could see him every day.”.
A month later, Beck took the next step. According to WFAA, he had previously adopted a youngster from another Wednesday’s Child Report. I was sobbing because it really tugged at my heartstrings,” he recalled, “and I had an instant connection with these boys, so I thought I had to figure out how to bring them into my house and get to know them better.”
Since then, Tre and Ke’lynn have been living with Beck, but nothing has been confirmed. The adoption process was going to take time. In July 2018, the adoption process finally began.
According to WFAA, the brothers were unsure of what would happen when they stepped into a North Texas courthouse on July 18, 2018. They assumed they were simply taking photos, but were soon surprised to discover it was their adoption day. Being adopted together made the moment even more meaningful.
Both brothers looked forward to their future together.
One of the brothers said:
“I’m happy to have been adopted.”
Tre grinned and said, “I’m not sure what’s going to happen next.”
“I’m leaving now.”
In Dr. Beck’s opinion:
It is such a blessing to be able to give them a permanent home and know that they will be my forever family.”
“They mean everything to me,” Beck said when asked what the boys mean to him.
“I adore them with all my heart.”
There are over 437,000 children and teens in foster care in the United States (American SPCC), according to the American Society for the Positive Care of Children. In addition, it takes years for children to be adopted, and those who do not find a permanent home are moved between group homes and families until they turn 18. Approximately 118,000 children in the United States are still waiting to be adopted, many of them for three to four years. Additionally, the group noted that 52 percent more males are in foster care than females, with a ratio of 52 percent to 48 percent.
According to the American SPCC, being displaced from one’s home has the following psychological impact:
Due to their relocation, they face a unique mix of emotional, social, and intellectual obstacles. Grief, remorse, anger, sorrow, loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem, and difficulties with mental and physical health are common among them… 20 500 adolescents are released from foster care without being adopted or reuniting with their families.”
Tre and Ke’lynn’s fates may have been similar, but Dr. Beck intervened and changed their lives.
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