A Family Adopted a Boy, Then Found Out He Had a Friend at the Orphanage. So They Decided to Adopt Him, Too
Adopting a child is not easy, and the process can be even more complicated if the child in question has special needs. But Jocelyn and Troy decided to take this step. One adopted child changed everything. The Piper family adopted Nolan, followed by Francis, and then Oaklynn, generously sharing love with them and striving to make the kids’ life better.
When Jocelyn Piper married Troy, they both already had older children from other relationships but knew they wanted to expand their family. They did serious research into adoption, but there were complications. The couple lived in Illinois, and they feared the state would side with the biological parents in the event of a dispute. Jocelyn understood that it’s fair for the parents to want to be with their child. However, she didn’t want to risk breaking her own heart. After all, getting attached to a child and then losing them is very hard.
The couple then started researching the specifics of international adoption. They found out about an orphanage in Hong Kong where many children have special needs. This touched Jocelyn and Troy’s hearts, so they decided to apply. When they were sent a picture of a young boy, Jo and Troy fell in love with him immediately. In 2015, they were able to bring Nolan home. He had cerebral palsy and couldn’t fully control his body or talk, but his family accepted him and loved him instantly.
Jocelyn started taking care of her new son. She would take him to school, adapting the car to facilitate his transport. But she never forgot about his orphanage in Hong Kong. One day, while looking at photos from there, she noticed a little boy who was in almost every picture with her son. The description of the photo indicated that the two were always together and the boy even called Nolan his brother.
When Jocelyn contacted the orphanage to find out what had happened to that boy, she was told that he had been moved elsewhere and was still available for adoption. Jocelyn and Troy didn’t spend much time debating what to do. Although financially it wasn’t easy to adopt two children, they went ahead with it. The boy was 8 years old at the time and after the adoption in 2018, he was given the name Francis.
Francis is more independent than Nolan. He has a rare condition called WAGR syndrome and is on the autism spectrum, but he can walk and talk. Even though it had been a few years since the boys had last met, they recognized each other. There was a bit of sibling rivalry for attention, but the family was only becoming happier.
Nolan’s health was poor and he needed constant medical attention. Although his family fought for his life with all their strength, he died in May 2021. While he was still alive, Jocelyn began the process of adopting a girl, Oaklynn.
The Pipers are an ordinary family, and taking care of children with ongoing special needs is not easy financially. However, there are different organisations around the world that help with the process of adopting children. Either way, Jocelyn couldn’t have stood by any longer. Troy understood the difficulties of adopting three kids in a row, but they decided they’d manage.
Jocelyn loves all her children and says she can’t imagine her life without them. Whether they’re biological or adopted, they’re all family to her. She tries to do everything she can to make her family’s life better. She buys them matching hats to instill a sense of togetherness and goes to all their recitals and school performances.
The adopted children remember that they didn’t always have a home in their lives. So Francis sometimes summarizes their routine: “Mommy take you to bus, go to school, mommy get you off the bus, go home.” Jocelyn reminds the children every day that they will definitely come home after school. This idea is hugely reassuring to the children, who are afraid of losing their family again.
Remembering Nolan can bring up tough feelings, but nobody in this family wants to forget him. Thanks to him, the eldest children in the family decided to make a change in their lives. One of the brothers started working with children who have special needs and one sister became a special education teacher. Another sister is still in school, but in her spare time she helps out in an office dedicated to children with special needs.
All these changes happened because of one boy and the huge hearts of his adoptive parents, who put all their love and strength into their family.