Couple Adopts Abandoned and Abused 18-Year-Old despite People Calling Them Crazy

When a Texas couple told the caseworker they wished to adopt kids above 13, she thought they were crazy. Soon afterward, they welcomed a 16-year-old boy abandoned by his birth mom with no name or time on his birth certificate.

Not all relationships are bound by blood connections. Some run solely on the foundation of love and become more profound with time. Today's story is about a couple who went all in to give a permanent home to a teenager.

Casey Douglas from Athens, Texas, knew she couldn't have kids even before meeting her husband. As a pastor's daughter with a Christian upbringing, she was expected to marry a respectable man and have enough kids to fill out the pew on Sunday morning.

Randall pictured with his adoptive parents. | Photo: facebook.com/casey.hobgood

CHOOSING ADOPTION

Her life changed when she married a man who accepted her definition of "different." Soon, the couple started volunteering at the church as youth pastors. She and her husband worked with students in low-income areas.

These kids had sub-par parental figures and were deeply hurt and lost. After three years of marriage, the couple chose fostering and adoption. However, many people disapproved of their decision and hurled them with negative comments.

Many advised the couple on how to begin their family at 24 and 26 so the father's legacy could be carried on. Time and again, they were told to have their own kids because adopted children were difficult to raise and came with emotional baggage.

SURVIVING CRITICISM

Despite the criticism, the eager-to-be parents scheduled sessions with CPS and got a vasectomy. They ended their fertility to reduce the stigma that their adopted kids would be a backup plan or a result of not conceiving naturally.

The same boy who had seen the darkest times and never thought he'd have a family has a permanent home with loving parents.

The couple shared they wished to take kids over 13, which triggered their haters. The hateful comments continued to pour, from people saying teens would kill them in sleep to derogatory comments aimed at Douglas.

WELCOMING THEIR SON

Even their caseworker thought they were crazy. She then told them about a 16-year-old boy, Randall, who needed a home immediately. The boy arrived three hours later and walked through their door with a fishing pole. Douglas also said:

"Nothing could have ever prepared me for the pain of a desperate child showing up on my doorstep. In that second I knew he was mine, and the love I had for him was completely indescribable."

Douglas knew what she had to do as she emptied the teenage boy's bags filled with clothes into her washing machine. The couple's prayer to become parents had been answered, and they didn't hesitate to share their love with Randall.

THE ADOPTION DAY

The couple later discovered that His birth mom had abandoned Randall with no name, time, height, or weight on his birth certificate. Douglas told Love What Matters what Randall said to her one day as she patted his back:

"He looked at me and said, ‘I have waited my entire life to be treated the way y’all treat me. I have never had real parents before.’"

Randall was officially adopted on January 10, 2019, when he turned 18. After two years of waiting, he had a name and a mom and dad of his own. He had spent his teen years in foster care and was raised by his grandmother until age 11.

A FOREVER HOME

According to his adoptive parents, Randall loves baseball and aspires to play on the college level. He wants to become a baseball player, coach, or inland fisheries scientist someday.

Sadly, his grandmother fell sick, and nobody was left to look after him. Afterward, he was passed around and endured sheer abuse and torture until he lost all hope of having a family.

The same boy who had seen the darkest times and never thought he'd have a family has a permanent home with loving parents. His adoptive parents hope to finalize two more adoptions and continue fostering and adopting teenagers.

If this incredibly heartwarming story of Randall and his adoptive family touched your heart, share it with your friends and family.

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