The young girl spent years being terrified and wishing for a permanent home. Then, she met her second-grade teacher, who helped make her dream come true.
If a child does not have a family to call their own, the greatest gift they could receive is someone who will love and care for them.
Loralie Henry, a 9-year-old girl, is very familiar with this, as she has been in the system longer than most children due to delays caused by the pandemic.
She had endured a lengthy and terrifying journey. Loralie entered foster care at age 4, returned to her biological mother at age 5, and was finally returned to the system at age 6.
Obviously, Loralie has not had an easy life. Loralie stated to ABC7: “It was actually really scary, too. I didn’t know what to expect in other homes or what they would feed me.”
“I didn’t really know what to do. So I thought, ‘Well, what should I do? Is there anyone waiting for me?’ I was really scared. Until I met my mom. My second grade teacher.”
Thankfully, there are individuals like Zoe Henry. Zoe Henry is a second-grade teacher who happened to have Loralie in her class.
Zoe is a teacher and a single mother who resides in La Verne, California. Adoption was the last thing on her mind when she met Loralie. She was merely attempting to maintain order in her life.
Nevertheless, as we all know, we never anticipate a miracle when it occurs.
When they first met, Zoe immediately recognized Loralie as a unique young lady.
When Zoe first saw her, she literally knew she would become her daughter!
Zoe remarked, “She entered my class, and I took one look at her to notice her freckles and birthmark.”
“I am going to adopt this little girl. She’s my daughter. The minute I set eyes on her.”
She feared that someone else would adopt Loralie before her, but thankfully, that did not occur.
She reached out to the adoption agency and discovered that she could still be adopted.
That was all Zoe required.
Two days later, Loralie and Zoe were at home!
It was as if Loralie had just received a birthday gift; she was finally going to have a permanent residence!
Loralie would have a mother and a home, and she would never have to worry about where she would end up next.
“She’s been in a lot of places, had a lot of obstacles to find her way here. But we’re very thankful for that journey, and it’s made her a brave and strong and just an amazing little girl,”
“She is probably the most compassionate person I know.”
Two years later, the adoption is now finalized. Since covid, processes have been significantly slowed down.
They were finally able to celebrate the “official” adoption in front of everyone nearly two years after Loralie returned home with Zoe.
Normally, the ceremony would take place in a courthouse, but this time it would be held online.
Nonetheless, it was equally special!
Little Loralie had spent 1,445 days in foster care, but in the end, she was adopted by the loving family she had longed for.