A group of siblings are back together after being separated in foster care.
A Texas couple with three biological children officially adopted the five siblings over a Zoom call in May, doubling the size of their family.
Andi Bonura says she and her husband, Thomas, had been wanting to adopt after years of pregnancy issues. Their three existing children, Joey, Sadie and Daphne, were born premature. They also lost one child during a pregnancy and another died in the NICU.
So, in 2017, the couple got licensed to become foster parents. Their first foster child was Bryson, who is now 2 years old. The couple then began fostering two of Bryson’s older siblings, David and Gabrielle.
Eventually, the two final siblings, Thomas and Carter, started visiting the Bonura home and asked if they could also come live with them, according to Bonura.
Bonura says that one day, she got a call saying their foster children’s biological parents were terminating their rights to the kids and they were given the option to adopt them. They said yes.
Bonura says finally adopting the children was so freeing and felt wonderful.
“We had been working so hard for years to get them all together, to bond as a family and it just feels so amazing to all of us, knowing we are a family, finally,” said Bonura.
If you’re considering becoming a foster parent or adopting, Bonura says to do it if you can.
“It will be the single most important and meaningful thing in your life,” she said. “The struggles to get to the place, your goal, is worth every tear. Because every struggle opens and teaches your heart how to help heal their precious innocent hearts. Watching these tiny people grow and heal brings hope that the future will bring much goodness to our broken world.”
