In 2008, I adopted two children from the foster care system, and when they first came to live with me, the experts didn’t have much hope for them. Social workers, doctors, and special education professionals all believed that my kids “wouldn’t amount to much.” One teacher even called the adoption agency to express concern, saying that my “hopes and expectations” for them were too high. Apparently, I was being unrealistic, thinking that these “feral children” could actually thrive.

All I wanted was for them to become the incredible humans I knew they could be and live life to their fullest potential. I was told they would never speak in full sentences, that Amber would always have a limp, and that Joe would never have the balance to run properly.

We put in so much effort, and I prayed endlessly. The guardian ad litem told me it was the second worst abuse case she had seen in her 25 years of work, saying they were “without hope.” But guess what? My daughter is now in her second year of culinary school!

And Joe? Well, he spent the last month convincing my husband and me that he should join the high school track team, even though I was totally against it because of his challenges. He didn’t want to do the “Special Olympics track”—he wanted to feel “normal,” even if just for a moment. So, we decided to let him join.

This is him running home from track practice all by himself, shouting, “Prove them wrong, go faster Joe!”   It just goes to show that anything is possible if you believe. There will always be challenges, but each day you get to choose whether you’ll let them win or if you’ll prove everyone wrong.