Elaine never expected the call. It came late one night, through Facebook Messenger. The foggy voice on the other end was her half-sister, Lisa*, someone she’d barely spoken to, and Lisa was pregnant. Lisa didn’t know her due date and hadn’t seen a doctor. The connection faded as quickly as it came.
Five months passed without another call, but Elaine didn’t forget.
Lisa was caught in the grip of substance use disorder; she was surviving on the margins and was often homeless. There had already been a tragic stillbirth in her past. Elaine expected this pregnancy to end in much the same way. Again, Lisa sought no prenatal care, and she had no plan.
But still, something in Elaine’s mind lingered.
Months later another call came. An abscess had landed Lisa in the emergency room, where she learned that she was due in August. Elaine’s heart lurched. There was hope this child might survive. Elaine contacted the Department of Children, Youth, and Families and asked them to put Lisa on a watch list. She had decided she would do what she could to give this child the shot at life every child deserves.
August came, and Elaine was somewhat surprised when Lisa called again. This time she was desperate: “I gave birth. Are you coming? I’m calling and calling, and no one’s coming,” said Lisa on the other end.
Elaine dropped everything. When she arrived at the hospital and found Lisa’s room, there was someone monitoring her. Elaine asked Lisa where the baby was, and Lisa told her she’d had a cesarian section and she wanted out of the hospital. The baby was in the NICU, and Lisa hadn’t seen him.
“I know my rights,” Lisa said to Elaine. “I’ll sign myself out. I can leave and come back.”
Elaine was reeling as she left Lisa’s room. She nearly bumped into the charge nurse as she left. The nurse told her that there were five different substances in Lisa’s system. They were monitoring the baby, but he was stable and healthy despite all odds. She asked Elaine if she wanted to see him, and Elaine was the first person (other than medical staff) to hold baby Julius.
He was tiny and so fragile, but he was alive. And he had Elaine.
DCYF had granted Elaine full access to the hospital. She visited every day after work. And after only five days in the NICU, Julius was discharged to Elaine. Lisa never came back.
Elaine has five older children. It had been years since she had a baby, and she had none of the items she needed to care for him. Her friends rallied around her, bringing diapers, clothes, a crib – everything he needed. Just like that, Julius was home. Elaine didn’t miss a single day of work during this time. It was stressful, and she can’t quite remember how she made it through.
When Julius was 11 weeks old, he started Early Head Start at Children’s Friend.
“Children’s Friend wasn’t just a daycare—it was a second home. The teachers saw Julius for how wonderful he was. They really saw him. They noticed his bright eyes, and his endless cuddles.”
He was surrounded by the nurturing, care, and love he needed. And he and Elaine had a family advocate, Melissa Sanchez, on their team now.
Elaine took Julius to Disney when he was just 6 months old, his tiny hand reaching out to touch the Tree of Life. “It was more than a vacation,” she said. “It was a declaration. He is loved. He matters.”
But the battle for Julius’ fate was far from over.
His birth parents were in and out of jail. Elaine had to allow DCYF to take him to visitations. She was so afraid the system would see her as someone trying to hide him away.
Although Elaine had gone to the hospital to see Lisa, no one in her family knew that she was the one who took Julius home. They never asked. She kept Julius a secret from much of her own family, trying to protect him, not knowing how it would all end.
Then came the court hearings. Elaine’s half-brother called and told her that Lisa had said she planned to sign over her rights to her own mother. But according to Elaine, Lisa’s mother also has substance use issues. Suddenly, everyone had opinions about what was best for Julius even though they had no idea where he was. Throughout the saga, Julius had one constant: Elaine.
The path to adoption wasn’t easy. Working with DCYF and the family courts was challenging and emotional for Elaine. During this process, Children’s Friend was able to step in and advocate for Julius, knowing the level of concern, care, and commitment Elaine had shown. As a direct result of advocacy by Children’s Friend, Julius’ case was reassigned to a caseworker who made the path to adoption possible for Elaine and Julius.
It was Children’s Friend that connected Elaine to a CASA worker. Children’s Friend also helped identify signs of a gross motor delay and ensured that Julius would receive Early Intervention services from another agency. There were so many barriers and obstacles for Elaine and Julius, but together, with the support of Children’s Friend, they overcame them.
Elaine credits her family advocate, Melissa: “If she wasn’t there,” Elaine said, “I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
Julius’ adoption became official in April 2025, Elaine became his mom.
Julius is 19 months old now. He has five sisters and three step brothers. His world is full of people who show up, who love him, who fight for him.
“He’s right where he should be,” said Melissa.
*Name changed to protect identity.