DALLAS — We talk a lot about the holiday rush and bustle this time of year, but this story is truly about Thanksgiving.
Two years ago, we introduced you to a 6-year-old child who suffered such terrible abuse, it left her with a traumatic brain injury and in a wheelchair.
She needed a special family to adopt her, and she got it.
This Thanksgiving week, we have an amazing update on a little girl named Kylee!
We first met Kylee two years ago at the Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine.
CPS says Kylee was born a normal child, but abuse left her with a traumatic brain injury and in a wheelchair. Her foster mother told us it would take a very special family to adopt Kylee.
“She has a traumatic brain injury, so she has a lot of brain damage from that," her foster mother told us in 2019. "She cannot walk at this time and doesn't have a lot of words so she needs a family that can be patient with her."
Well, look who's talking now...and walking!
After spending her entire life in foster care, Kylee, who's now 8 years old, was adopted earlier this month by two dads who are also nurses!
They sent us home videos of Kylee talking more than she ever had before. We also saw video of her walking with a walker.
And her dads sent us a lot of new pictures of her.
One photo shows her on an airplane last December leaving Texas for Colorado, where she now lives.
Other pictures show Kylee with both her dads cuddling with her and smiling.
They learned how to do crocheted extensions in her hair, and yes, they even turned her into a Denver Broncos fan!
Kylee now has several more siblings. One of them, her brother Vale, calls her "Princess."
Most touching of all, Kylee is still in contact with her doting biological brother KJ, who adores his little sister and was adopted separately.
Both families are making sure Kylee and KJ are always in each other's lives.
We also saw video of Kylee dancing happily in her wheelchair. She’s definitely dancing on air these days, and so are her adoptive fathers. They have used state-of-the-art technology to use the movements of her eyes to help her to speak and they have showered her with love.
Kylee is thriving.
In a statement, her dads say in part:
"She means the world to us and is a pretty big piece of the puzzle that is our family. It has only been a year, but we can already say that we couldn't imagine life without her. We love our Kylee to pieces."
From the foster care system to a Forever Family, this angel from God is finally home and a reason we can all smile this Thanksgiving.
Here's the full statement from her parents:
"We first saw Kylee on adoptuskids.com and it was love at first sight. Her big puppy dog eyes coupled with her smile just melted our hearts. Tim and I‘s first visit out to Texas at the end of August was amazing. It was the first time we met Kylee and we knew at that moment that she was meant to be part of our family. It would be three more months until we welcomed our daughter home. December 3rd was her “Welcome Home” date and it was such a joyous occasion.
Over the last year she has blossomed into the young lady that she is. She requires a lot of care but she provides the family with a lot of joy, silliness, and laughter. She continues to make progress in her speech and language with the use of her eye gaze controlled talker. If she would want to be anywhere, she would want to be outside. She loves to walk with her physical therapist in her gait trainer in the neighborhood. She also loves school. She greatly enjoys the socialization and interaction she gets with others her age.
She means the world to us and is a pretty big piece of the puzzle that is our family. It has only been a year but we can already say that we couldn’t imagine life without her. We love our Kylee to pieces."
For more information on how to adopt a child, send all approved home studies to LaQueena Warren at LaQueena.Warren@dfps.texas.gov.
If you're not licensed, please visit adoptchildren.org to find out more information on how to become licensed to foster and/or adopt or contact LaQueena Warren at 817-304-1272.