Nathan came to live with us full-time last year on September 8, and since then, his father has had very minimal contact with him. When he did reach out, it was often while highly intoxicated, which was very damaging to Nathan’s mental health. A court has now ruled that Jason has no visitation with Nathan, honoring Nathan’s choice. Nathan has even reached out to his father, asking if he would join him in therapy to try to work through their differences and rebuild their relationship. Sadly, his father responded that he never wants to see or hear from Nathan again.

This year, while discussing holiday travel plans for Nathan’s sister Amelia, Jason reiterated that Nathan was sent to live with us as a punishment and told him he was no longer welcome in his home. Despite all of this, Nathan has come such a long way in the last year. He is a prominent member of our community, always there when someone needs help. He’s very active in sports and would literally give the shirt off his back to someone in need. He is the most amazing teenager, and we are so proud of him.

Since the judge ruled in May that Jason no longer has custody or visitation, we have had to restructure the custody agreement with Amelia. During these talks, Jason brought up terminating his parental rights to Nathan and requested full termination so Cassandra could adopt him. Nathan wanted to surprise Cassandra with the adoption for Christmas, but with the total cost of the adoption, we were unable to keep it a surprise. I really hate asking for help, especially now when so many are struggling, but this boy deserves to have his dreams come true. I’m doing this for Nathan so he knows he has parents who will never abandon him. Any support you can give will mean the world to us and help make Nathan’s adoption official.