Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands of children in foster care in the United States, and there is a significant lack of willing and capable families eager to permanently adopt them. The situation may even appear bleak for young children as they grow older and become less “desirable” to adopt. However, it is never too late to locate your family. That’s the beautiful message delivered by Leah Paskalides and Monyay, the daughter she adopted in 2021 when she was 19 years old.

However, this is no average adoption tale.

Monyay was put in a group home for foster children when she was 11 years old. The sorrow of going through life without a family was always difficult, but it hit her very hard in her final year. “My senior year is when I went through one of those, ‘I don’t want to do it anymore; I’m done,'” she confessed to ABC News.

Monyay finished school a year early and used the additional time to help with foster youngsters like herself. However, she had a difficult road ahead, as she was about to reach 18 and legally age out of the system.

According to the Children’s Home Society of Minnesota, the 23,000 children who leave foster care each year without a family confront several problems. There are minimal support structures in place for these newly grown-up individuals. Without the supervision and assistance of their foster family and case workers, just 3% complete college, 50% develop drug abuse problems, 60% of boys are convicted of crimes, and 70% of girls become pregnant before the age of 21.

After turning 18, it seems that Monyay would have to face adulthood alone. But then her caseworker and mentor from the Safe Children Coalition stepped in.

Leah had always wanted to adopt Monyay, but it was a conflict of interest with her job.

“She always said, ‘I wish you could adopt me,’ and I couldn’t because of the job, and then I was watching a documentary where the person had been adopted as an adult, and I had never really heard of it,” Leah told me.

She chose to adopt Monyay as her adult daughter. “It was important to me that she knew that she was wanted by somebody, that somebody loved her,” Leah claimed on Fox 13. “I could say that as many times as I want, but actions speak louder than words.”

On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, a judge signed the documents confirming the adoption.

“Being told ‘no’ so many times, to hear that ‘yes,’ and to hear them pronounce her as my mom, it’s something that’s like, Oh my gosh, this is for real,” Monyay said to Fox 13.

During the adoption process, the topic of Monyay’s preferred last name persisted. When the 18-year-old declared it would be “Paskiledes,” both Mom and the new daughter sobbed.

“I would have adopted her six years ago; it was held-back emotions that just came out,” Leah told the publication People.

When news and other media outlets began to share the couple’s story, it captivated hearts across the world.

“A family is comprised of love. Love recognizes no color or age. “Congratulations,” one YouTube user remarked.

“This will bring a lot of healing to the young woman. There’s something special about knowing you’re wanted and loved just the way you are.” That’s what our parents are supposed to give us before we learn to give it to ourselves,” another said.

The strange thing is, the two didn’t hit it off right away. Monyay disliked Leah when she was originally assigned her case many years ago. “She told me what she was going to be doing and helping me out with my case, and I didn’t like her; she’ll tell you that,” Monyay recalled.

But during the last nine years, the two have formed an unshakable friendship.

“She was very motivated and had aspirations for a future, and so I knew she just needed support,” Leah told me. “She was always a kid who did not deserve to go through life without the support system of a family.”