From Disruption to a Family of Three: Celebrating Our Latest Grant Recipients

Beautiful. Challenging. Worthwhile.

Those are the three words Brian and Quincy used to describe their adoption journey, a journey that began in September 2024, included an incredibly difficult disruption, and ultimately led them to the little boy they had been waiting for. Today, we are honored to celebrate one of the newest recipients of the Beyond the Match Foundation Disruption Grant and share the wonderful news that they are officially finalized and home as a family of three!

A Journey That Required Hope

Adoption was not a new concept for this family. After years of infertility, they felt drawn toward adoption as a way to grow their family. Brian was adopted himself, making adoption a meaningful part of their family's story long before they began the process. Still, nothing could fully prepare them for the emotions that came with waiting.

“To say it was a rollercoaster of emotions is an understatement. With every new case you're so hopeful, excited, scared, dreaming of meeting your child. With every day that went by waiting, your heart breaks wondering if you will ever be the right fit.”

After months of waiting, they finally received the news that they had been hoping for, an expectant mother had chosen them! They felt a sense of renewed hope as they moved forward with the match and started to prepare for the next phase of their journey. Then, in November 2025, their journey took a heartbreaking turn when the adoption they were pursuing disrupted. The emotional and financial loss were significant, and they reached a point where they weren't sure they could continue.

“After the disruption, we really didn't think we could emotionally or financially continue.”

This is one of the reasons Beyond the Match Foundation exists. A disrupted adoption doesn't simply end when a match ends. Families can be left grieving the child they had prepared to welcome while also facing thousands of dollars in expenses they may never recover. For some, those losses can make continuing their adoption journey feel impossible. We want to help make sure a disruption does not have to be the end of a family's story!

Finding the Courage to Say Yes Again

Eventually, another opportunity came and this time, they were chosen again. But experiencing a previous disruption changed what that moment felt like.

“Finding out we were matched again felt surreal. It was hard to let ourselves believe we were chosen again and we had to work very hard to let our guard down and dive into the process again. We were overwhelmed with feelings of pure joy and fear but knew we had to keep going if we wanted to grow our little family.”

They chose hope, again. They allowed themselves to build a relationship with their son's birth parents, which they describe as one of the most meaningful parts of their entire adoption experience. Eventually, all of that waiting led to the moment they had dreamed about for so long: Their son was home. Today, their adoption is finalized, and they are soaking in life as a family of three.

“We have loved this time getting to bond and honestly just staring at him. Every sound, smile and coo just melts our hearts. We have loved being here to comfort him when he cries and making him feel so surrounded by love.”

What This Grant Means

Adoption can carry an enormous financial burden even when everything goes according to plan. When a family experiences a disruption and then continues on to another adoption, those expenses can compound quickly. This family described the financial side of adoption simply:

“The financial side of adoption is really intense. There are SO many expenses and you really do need to be prepared for anything.”

Our Disruption Grant was created specifically with families like this in mind. After already absorbing the financial impact of their previous disruption and then completing another adoption, this grant provides some breathing room during their first weeks home. Their $1,500 grant award will help cover their son's medical expenses while the family navigates appointments and waits for insurance coverage to be backdated to his birth. When we asked them to finish the sentence, “This grant gave us…” their answer was simple: “Peace of mind.” That is what we hope these grants can provide. We cannot erase the loss a family experienced, we cannot change what happened or take away the grief that came with it. But we can come alongside them afterward and we can help shoulder a piece of the financial burden. We can remind them that someone sees what they have walked through. And sometimes, we can help make moving forward feel a little more possible.

It Takes a Village to Adopt

Throughout their questionnaire, one theme came up again and again: support. Friends, family, their adoption team, and their community. On the days when they struggled to believe their adoption would happen, other people carried some of that hope for them. Their advice to other waiting families reflects that experience:

“Rely on your support system. It will not always be easy to stay positive and hopeful while waiting. In fact, it is in our opinion THE hardest part of the process.”

They added something we think beautifully captures the reality of adoption:

“While it takes a village to raise a child, it most certainly takes one to adopt as well.”

For those supporting a waiting adoptive family, that support may look like checking in when there is no news, sitting with them after a difficult case, celebrating the small victories, helping with expenses, or simply continuing to believe alongside them when they are tired of waiting. Because waiting families are often carrying more than people realize.

As this family shared:

“We are exhausted; mentally and emotionally. We are longing for and doing everything we can for the child that is meant to be ours... We will need some extra check-ins, nights out, grace when we don't have it all together the way we would have in the past and to have people genuinely checking in on you.”

The Impact of Giving

Every Beyond the Match grant is made possible because people choose to give and while a donation may look like a number on a receipt to the person making it, to a family walking through adoption, it can mean something much bigger. It can mean another adoption expense paid and a little less fear about what comes next. Or, in this family's words, peace of mind. When asked what they would tell someone considering supporting adoption through giving, they said:

“It is incredibly generous and one of the biggest stress relievers you can do to help families looking to adopt. While we will do whatever it takes, financial assistance is an invaluable gift you can provide families in this process.”

They also wanted donors to know that the size of the gift does not determine its value:

“There are no small or unappreciated donations, every amount matters. We will forever be grateful for any and all support we have received throughout this process.”

A Long-Awaited Little Boy

Now, the waiting has been replaced by something much sweeter. Cuddles. Coos. First smiles. Sleepless nights. Family and friends preparing a meet-and-greet to celebrate a very long-awaited little boy and two parents who finally get to look at their son and say, we are a family of three.

When asked what they hope their son someday understands about his adoption story, they shared that above everything else, they want him to know how deeply he has been loved throughout his story. Their hopes for his future are equally simple and profound: that he grows up happy, healthy, supported, and surrounded by people who will walk alongside him as he develops his own understanding of adoption and his story.

We are incredibly honored that Beyond the Match Foundation gets to play one small role in this family's journey. To this family: congratulations. Your story is a beautiful reminder that hope does not mean every day is easy. Sometimes hope looks like allowing others to believe for you when you can't. Sometimes it means grieving what was lost. Sometimes it means finding the courage to say yes again even when you are terrified. And sometimes, after a very long road, hope looks like holding your baby boy in your arms.

Beautiful. Challenging. Worthwhile.

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

Help Us Support the Next Family

Beyond the Match Foundation provides financial assistance and emotional support to adoptive families navigating disruptions and other unexpected challenges in their adoption journeys.

Every gift, large or small, helps us continue showing up for families when they need support most.

Your donation could be the grant that helps another family believe they can keep going.

Support the Beyond the Match Foundation