Tyrone is in hospitality and his husband Howard is an educator. Like many gay male couples, they first met in the gym. But unlike lots of their friends, they both knew they wanted to be parents. The pandemic got them focused on moving forward toward fatherhood and they reached out to me for a match. Surprisingly and wonderfully soon thereafter, a fantastic expectant momma Jenny connected with me. She was recently out of work and was wanting to finish her schooling, and the birth father had also lost all job prospects in the pandemic and left the country. She knew she wasn’t ready to parent this child and began exploring options. Jenny was referred by a friend of her family who is a judge and knows my work (It helps to be Florida Bar board certified in adoption and a member of the prestigious Academy!) and Jenny decided the adoption path would be the best. Among the profiles shared with her, she excitedly chose Tyrone and Howard. Jeanne’s mom was super supportive of her adoption plan and she and her mom were all in with her “baby daddies.” The birth father agreed as well and signed off on his parental rights immediately, relieved that a solid plan was in place. Navigating the COVID restrictions in the hospital and the many understandable emotions that arose were challenging but it worked out well and everyone is doing great. One of the best parts is we were able to provide living expenses and necessary support to Jenny through the birth and for six weeks postpartum including providing substantial counseling which helped her get back on her feet and back to school. What a blessing all around! Happy National Adoption Month to all members of the adoption triad; we as adoption professionals are privileged to be a part of your journey!
— Elizabeth Schwartz handles adoptions and ART matters in Florida and is a Fellow os the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys. Learn more about Liz and her practice on her website, http://www.elizabethschwartz.com/
