Tyler’s Long Road Home to His New Family

“We always knew international adoption was a way we wanted our family to grow. We contacted four different adoption agencies with an established program in Burundi. Speaking to Wide Horizons adoption directors and past adoptee families confirmed that they were the right fit.   

“Our dossier was complete and mailed to Burundi in October 2019 and then the waiting began.  Our biological kids would talk about their new sister or brother every day.  What would their favorite food be? What games would they like to play? What would they want for Christmas?    

“In November 2020, we got an email that changed our family forever. We had been matched with a 3-year-old little boy!  He was only 2 months younger than our youngest child and also being treated with leg braces. We had anticipated being matched with a younger child, and the unknown medical details were scary, but we knew that he was our son.     

“We traveled to Bujumbura, Burundi in November 2021. Our son’s adoption day — the day we were able to pick him up at the orphanage was November 9, 2021. It is also international adoption day!  We were greeted with beautiful singing and a traditional meal by his orphanage caretakers who tearfully told us how grateful they were that we were now his family. Every child deserves a family — no matter where they were born.    

“Our journey to have Tyler in our arms was 2 1/2 years long. We would do it again to have him here with us. He is the perfect fit for our family. He is a child full of life, joyful and eager to learn. He loves his siblings and dogs and motorcycles, he has learned to swim, play in the snow, and jump waves at the beach. He has the best laugh and is an inspiration to all who hear his story!”