The leavell’s Foster Care TO Adoption story
“I didn’t know if she would ever recover.”
Maggie and Caleb were a happy couple who were expectant parents. Their due date was approaching and everything was ready for their little girl’s arrival…and then the unimaginable happened…
Maggie and Caleb reached out to us a few months ago, sharing their story of grief and beauty. And in the past few years, if we’ve learned anything at The Archibald Project, it’s that life is almost always a continual dance of pain and joy. Upon hearing Maggie and Caleb’s story, we knew that this story, although heartbreakingly tragic, was going to change people’s hearts and give them hope.
We walked into their home one week before they would legally get to call Treasure their daughter. Although Treasure had been with them for about a year a half, this day symbolized so many things for this family… it meant forever. You see, Maggie and Caleb have walked for years, waiting for the day they would get to call someone their child. Years ago Maggie and Caleb walked through the heart break of a miscarriage. This child left a whole in their hearts that they prayed and hoped would be filled one day. And then an answer to prayer arrived and Maggie found out she was pregnant again. Through a gender reveal the Leavells found out they were having a girl and named her Lucy Kate.
The day before Maggie was to be induced, Maggie and Caleb were hit in a head on car collision that left this family completely shattered and took Lucy Kate from this earth. The road to family has been long and painful for Maggie and Caleb, and what they didn’t know was that their pain would align with another little girl’s pain, and loss of family, across town.
As their hopes of ever having a family seemed to be crumbling before their eyes, Maggie and Caleb turned to foster care. The idea of a lack of permanancy with foster care definitely made both of them hesitant after they had already lost so much, but the idea of being able to give a child a loving home for any amount of time was worth the heartache they would potentially have to endure.
So they said “Yes” to Treasure, who truly is their Treasure. Treasure came into their home a timid 18 month old, but she instantly fell into place in Maggie and Caleb’s hearts. When our team walked into their home the week before Treasure’s adoption date, we met a spunky little 3 year old girl who was goofy and sweet, and we saw two parents completely head over heels in love with their little girl.
Maggie and Caleb and Treasure’s paths crossed because of tragedy. Both of their stories were brought together because they lost someone. And although adoption doesn’t make the pain of losing someone go away; Maggie, Caleb and Treasure are now a forever family bounded by something deep. This story, these people, their hearts to love one another, even in the face of pain, is something that we will think of often and the hope they offer today will surely inspire the next person to say, “Yes”, when it’s scary and costly.
We are honored to share this film with you and we would be grateful if you would share it with your friends and family.
