Several years ago, my family and I had the pleasure of working with Madonna and her team when we adopted our daughter, Allison. My husband and I had two biological children, both boys, but my pregnancies were high risk and very difficult. We were told that another pregnancy would be too risky, so we made the difficult decision not to try again for the daughter that we so desperately wanted. Luckily, we had always known we wanted to add to our family through adoption. I was anxious to start the process, but my husband wasn’t quite ready. A few years passed and I had begun to give up hope that I would have a daughter.
Several years later, at Christmas, as we were opening presents, my husband handed me a gift and the entire family went silent, which NEVER happens in our house. The gift was a mug, but it contained a letter from my husband. Unknown to me, he had contacted Madonna to talk about Florida adoption. Reading the words “I’m ready to be a father to a daughter,” took my breath away. We soon met with Madonna and began the adoption process. During the whole experience, the lovely team at Madonna’s office made sure that both my family and my daughter’s birth parents were supported and comfortable.
The day that we got the call that we were matched with Katie, our daughter’s birth mother, was one of the best days of our lives. Our extended family was on a beach vacation when we got the call, and we all got to celebrate together. There were many happy tears that day! My husband and I quickly got ready for our daughter’s arrival and planned to meet her birth parents for lunch before her birth. The day that we planned to meet my daughter’s birth parents, we were getting ready to leave when Madonna’s team called to say our daughter would be arriving early, Katie was in labor! We quickly got ready and drove to the hospital in a city several hours away.
We arrived at the hospital 15 minutes after our daughter’s birth and she has been in our arms ever since. We were lucky enough to have a room in the hospital where we could care for our daughter before going home. Again, Madonna and her team were in constant contact and ensuring that everyone’s needs were met. We spent the few days in the hospital getting to know our daughter and Katie. I will forever cherish those days with her, the beautiful woman who chose us to raise our sweet, spunky, sassy daughter.
We said goodbye to each other when we all left the hospital and wrote letters to Katie with updates as she grew. Katie asked for no contact other than letters and pictures, so we do not stay in touch. Although we may not see each other, Katie is always in our thoughts and hearts. We speak of her and her selflessness often and hope that she is living a life full of happiness and love. Her choice to make an adoption plan literally changed our life. With Madonna’s help, Katie made our family complete and filled a hole in our hearts. We will be forever grateful for Katie’s choice and Madonna’s help.
(Names have been changed to protect the parties’ confidentiality)
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and are considering the loving option of adoption or are researching “Florida adoption agencies near me,” look no further. The Law Office of Madonna Finney would be happy to help guide you through this process. We have offices in Pensacola, Tallahassee and Franklin County. We combine the legal expertise of the Florida Panhandle’s only Board Certified Adoption Lawyer with experienced, professional adoption social workers, counselors, and case managers. We are available 24/7. Call or text us any time at (850) 308-1836.