The Tully Family Love Story

What inspired you to consider foster care and adoption?

Like many people, we just started off by wanting to make a difference. To be honest, the thought of adoption and being able to adopt was the leading drive to becoming foster parents. But, as time went on, the act of fostering is what continues to inspire us. We’ve learned that while there is a permanency to adoption, it is not a final destination.

We are forever choosing to care for the life of a child who was born to someone else. It hasn’t only impacted our daughter’s life, but our family’s life. It continues to challenge and inspire our abilities as parents. Adoption has left us with the inspiration to continue to choose to make a difference because no matter the timeline, a child’s life is always worth it, and we’re all left better because of it.

How did adopting change your life?

Adoption changed our lives in ways we couldn’t have imagined. You think of getting to permanently add a child to your home, your life. But for us, we were able to permanently add a whole family to ours. Being able to form a relationship with our daughter’s previous foster family/mom was a thrill we never knew existed! It gave us a connected piece to years we didn’t get to share with Maryssa, it gave us love and support during this journey, and makes our daughter’s story more special.

How did Beech Acres support you?

We couldn’t have done it without EVERYONE at BeechAcres. There was never a time that I didn’t feel heard, supported, advocated for. Even in times of worry or doubt, we had people supporting us, taking our phone calls, and visiting us once a week. I think the most special part was getting to have the staff from BeechAcres attend our adoption hearing. I can’t express the significance and meaning of having people there who were there from the first pre service class we took, people who knew our daughter before we did, people who championed us for this very moment. It was a day I will never forget!