My name is Shelby and as many of you know, this is my Kameron. When Kameron was 7 years old, I was his Special Education teacher for about two years. Kameron is autistic, and I taught a program for children who had severe intellectual disabilities, which means they were not working towards earning a high school diploma. Kameron will need to be cared for throughout all of his life and adulthood due to his unique needs and multiple disabilities.

After being his teacher, I kept in contact with his family and guardians who were all working to care for him. While Kameron has a unique and complex story, I want to keep some of his life and history private. Ultimately, when Kameron was 10, I had the opportunity to help care for him, and eventually, in 2023, I became Kameron’s sole guardian.

Kameron is now 13 years old, and I have been working towards adopting Kameron, which is a very important step due to me needing to be able to make decisions for him throughout adulthood as well.

To care for Kameron is a blessing and a privilege I am happy to take on. But this journey has not been easy and has pushed me in ways I did not expect. For the last couple of years, I have worked multiple jobs and 90-hour weeks to provide the care that Kameron truly needs. I am blessed to have been able to pull Kameron out of school and have him homeschooled, where he has grown in ways I did not think were possible. Kameron works on his communication, emotional regulation, and basic life skills that have continued to give him so much joy and quality of life.

Over these few years, I have racked up a great amount of debt and continue to struggle to make it paycheck to paycheck. I am sure it goes without saying, this economy seems to make it impossible for us to keep up. So, while we have made it work, paying for an adoption lawyer on top of it all has caused a great deal of stress for me.

Overall, asking for help has been discouraging to say the least. While the Department of Social Services often provides support to individuals adopting children with disabilities, I am unable to get these supports. I chose to take Kameron in immediately and did not allow him to be given up to DSS. So technically, Kameron was never “in the system” and so I am not eligible for their support. I have applied for many forms of assistance, but there seems to be a loophole for almost anything. Even the Social Security he received previously was cut more than in half when in my care because they stated since I was not his biological family, he will not receive the same amount of benefits.

With all of that being said, this is just my last effort at trying to get some relief and help with adopting Kameron. Times are hard for everyone right now, so I know there are many people who are not able to give. If you find yourself in a position where you can, please know Kameron is the most deserving child for it. Kameron has had many struggles and adverse experiences at a very young age, and he continues to find joy and love in every person he meets and every day he faces. He needs and deserves stability and consistency that I am working to provide for him.

Thank you so much to anyone who has taken the time to read his story. Please enjoy these super cute pictures of my ham and also take a peek at when I first had him in my classroom. :)