Kayla, still grieving her grandmother, was headed home after the funeral, unaware of the chaos that awaited her during the flight. Mistaken for someone else, she had to rely on her instincts to get through the unexpected trouble.
Feeling drained from the funeral and her pregnancy, Kayla just wanted to be in her own bed. The emotional farewell to her grandmother, who had always supported her, weighed heavily on her.
While packing, her mother expressed concern about her leaving so soon. Kayla reassured her that she needed to return to work and her husband, Colin, who struggled without her. Her parents planned to stay a few more days to sort out her grandmother’s affairs, but Kayla wished her grandmother could have met her unborn baby.
Navigating the busy airport, Kayla hated flying, but it was preferable to a long drive. After boarding, she settled in, eager for the journey home. As the flight took off, Kayla sensed someone staring at her. A man a few rows back caught her eye, making her uneasy, but she dismissed it as someone judging her for traveling while pregnant.
Moments into the flight, a stern flight attendant approached her and asked her to follow her to the back. Confused, Kayla complied. Suddenly, the attendant ordered her to kneel, and the man who had been watching her approached, accusing her of theft.
Kayla insisted she hadn’t stolen anything and was returning from her grandmother’s funeral. The man showed her pictures of a woman who looked like her but had distinct tattoos that Kayla didn’t have. Just as she was starting to panic about her baby, the man began to reconsider.
In a moment of desperation, Kayla placed his hand on her belly to prove she was pregnant. Relieved but still embarrassed, he apologized, explaining he thought she was a thief he was pursuing.
However, the situation escalated when the flight attendant revealed a gun and ordered them both to comply. In a surge of instinct to protect her baby, Kayla kicked the attendant, causing her to drop the gun. The man tackled her, revealing that she was the real thief.
Once they landed, police were waiting. Detective Connor, who had been tracking the thief, apologized for mistaking Kayla for the criminal. Despite the ordeal, Kayla felt a strange sense of relief. As she stepped out of the airport and saw Colin waiting with flowers, she felt at peace.
Colin embraced her, glad to have her back. On the drive home, Kayla recounted the harrowing flight. Concerned for her well-being, Colin asked if she needed a doctor, but she reassured him that she was fine. As he placed his hands on her belly, they shared a moment of happiness, looking forward to their future together.
‘Families don’t have to look the same’ – Black couple talks about their experience adopting three white children
Sadie and Jarvis Sampson tried for years to have a baby, using every method they could think of. They eventually accepted that they might only ever be an aunt and uncle. Then, one day, they got a text that changed their lives completely.
The couple had been trying to get pregnant since they got married in January 2018, but when it didn’t happen on its own, they tried everything else.
“We used ovulation tests, took prenatal vitamins, tracked cycles with apps, and used fertility monitors,” the Houston mom told Love What Matters.
“We even tried advice from friends, family, and strangers. For 14 months, we tried, prayed, and waited. Month after month, it was always a negative pregnancy test. It seemed like we might need help to conceive, so we even talked to doctors about it.”
Doctors didn’t offer much help to the couple. They mostly told Sadie to lose weight to improve her chances of getting pregnant. With no other advice, she had gastric surgery and lost 28 pounds.
Sadie’s OBGYN was excited about the weight loss and praised her for it.
“She told me that if I wasn’t pregnant within six months, she would refer me to a fertility specialist because she couldn’t prescribe fertility medication herself,” Sadie said. “I was thrilled! We finally got a positive step forward, even if it wasn’t immediate. We were excited about the progress.”
Unfortunately, the couple didn’t get pregnant after Sadie lost the weight, and they felt like they were back where they started.
“I always felt like I was meant to be a mother,” Sadie said. “Even though my surgeon warned me that I’d be very fertile after the surgery, I still wasn’t getting pregnant. So, we gave up and accepted that we might just be aunt and uncle to our nieces and godparents to our goddaughters.”
Just when the couple had decided to stop trying to have a baby, Sadie got a text from a friend asking if they would think about fostering a baby from a couple she knew.
At first, the couple was hesitant because they were told by a caseworker to take care of the baby while the birth mom was getting treatment. They worried they might get too attached. But then, the situation changed.
“The birth mom has decided she wants you to adopt the baby instead,” the caseworker said.
Sadie remembered saying, “‘Holy crap!!’ out loud when she found out she was going to be a mom.
“We went from having no kids to possibly fostering one, to suddenly being told, ‘You’re going to be parents!’ I was still in shock as I listened to the caseworker. I hung up and called my husband, shouting, ‘Babe!! They want us to adopt the baby! We’re going to be parents!’ He said, ‘Wait! REALLY?! I thought they just wanted us to foster him!’ I told him, ‘Nope! They want us to be his mom and dad.’”
The couple spent the weekend trying to take in the shocking news and getting ready, just in case the birth mom changed her mind.
By Monday, they were not only told that the birth mom still wanted them to adopt the baby, but she also wanted to do an independent adoption and was ready to sign the papers that day.
Their baby boy was born at just 33 weeks, which is seven weeks early. He weighed 4 lbs. 5 oz. “He was so tiny, he literally fit in one of my husband’s hands,” Sadie wrote.
“He was wrapped in a white blanket with pink and blue stripes,” Sadie said. “He had a small tube coming out of his nose because he couldn’t eat on his own since he was born early. But he was so cute!!!”
The couple shared their news on social media and were encouraged to create a registry. They listed 72 items, and within just three days, 55 of them were already bought for them.
Ezra Lee’s adoption was finalized in October 2020, and the couple had adorable family photos taken, all wearing t-shirts that said, “Families don’t have to match.”
In 2021, Sadie and Jarvis became parents to twin girls, Journee and Destinee, through embryo donation. True to their family motto, “Families don’t have to match,” the Black couple now has three white children – a boy and two girls.
For anyone who might judge their beautiful family, they have just one response: their family is built on the strongest foundation ever – love.
Leave a Reply