Help Us Bring Anna Marie Home

Hello, my name is Shannon. My husband Dan and I were married in 2012, and like many couples, we dreamed of building a family. Adoption had always been something close to our hearts, though we never imagined it would become the only path to growing our family. After starting the home study process and taking all the necessary steps, we began a journey of waiting—nearly six long years filled with hope, faith, and countless prayers. Then, one day we received the call that changed our lives forever.

On May 15, 2021, a baby girl had been born in Houston to an under-educated 14-year-old girl from an unstable family who wasn’t ready to be a mother, and she placed the baby for adoption through our adoption agency. It felt like fate.

We rushed to Texas, hearts full of hope, and on May 18, 2021, we left the hospital with her in our arms. She was perfect. We named her Anna Marie after my mother and my grandmother—two women who embodied strength and love. We thought we’d only be there for a few weeks, just waiting for the adoption paperwork to be finalized.

But then, everything took a turn we never could have imagined. The birth mother, under guidance from her attorneys which were appointed and financed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services' Office of Child Protective Services, was told not to sign away her parental rights.

We held out hope that the justice system would step in. According to the law, the courts can step in after 90 days of a parent who has “no intent to return” and terminate their rights. So, we waited. A week before the court was set to make that decision, we were blindsided. We were told the birth mom wanted her back. She, too, was in foster care, unable to provide for herself, let alone a newborn. We fought for seven more agonizing months—fought for our daughter, for her safety, and for her future.

But on March 7, 2022, a judge ruled that Anna Marie had to go back to her birth mother. Her best interest wasn’t even considered - not even by the court-appointed representatives who were supposed to advocate for Anna Marie's best interests. The only thing that mattered to them was her birth mom’s right to parent, even though she wasn’t capable. And so, on March 10, we did the impossible— after ten months with Anna Marie, we handed our daughter over in a Buc-ee’s parking lot, our hearts breaking into a million pieces.

Since that day, we’ve been fighting relentlessly to bring her home. Anna Marie has been in foster care with her birth mother after being removed from the original group home she was placed in. We’ve heard about the conditions, and although we cannot go into detail due to confidentiality laws, we know she’s not in a safe place. Every day without her is unbearable.

Despite this heartbreak, we’ve persevered in faith. We know Anna Marie is meant to be with us. We’ve continued to fight this legal battle, and now we have a trial date set for January. It’s our last chance to bring her home, to give her the life she deserves—the love, the stability, the safety that’s been ripped away from her. We want what’s best for both Anna Marie and her birth mom, but we believe Anna Marie deserves to come home, to be in a place where she’s safe, loved, and cared for. We believe that promises should be kept, and the birth mother promised an adoption. We must right this grievous wrong.

We need your help. Legal fees are mounting, and we can’t do this alone. CPS has thrown many road blocks our way forcing frivolous hearings in an effort to incur as many legal fees as possible, hoping that we will just give up, but you don't give up on your family. We will not let them defeat us, but we also do not have unlimited finances. On top of what we have spent the last 3 years in our legal battle, the jury trial coming up in January will cost $100,000 alone, not to mention depositions and other trial preparations in the meantime. This is our last chance to fight for Anna Marie before the courts force us to give up. Please, if you feel moved by our story, help us bring Anna Marie home where she belongs. Any donation, any share of this story, can help bring us one step closer to holding our daughter in our arms again.