Vince and Eric’s journey to adoption was long. But when they finally met their son, J, for the first time, they knew their family was complete. This is their adoption story.

Can you briefly describe your family?

We’re a family of four: Vince, Eric, J, and Coco, our 10-year old Shih-Apso. We live in a suburban area in a lovely neighbourhood, with diverse neighbours who watch out for each other. We help in the community by volunteering our time with association initiatives, as well as at Jamestin’s school. We love to spend time doing outdoor activities such as camping in the summer or walks around the neighbourhood.

Can you tell us a bit about your experience with the adoption process overall?

Our adoption process had its ups and downs.

From the beginning, up until our son joined our family, our journey was over 6 and a half years. We had matches that didn’t work out, which was very disheartening. We were almost at the point of giving up.

But once J came into the picture, everything went smoothly and has been great since – the ups have definitely outweighed the downs.

What’s your best bit of advice for families considering adopting?

  • Stock up on patience!
  • Go through Adopt BC Kids (adopting from foster care)– the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) is very supportive
  • Expect a long process
  • Make sure to connect with Belonging Network for support and resources
  • Reach out to Facebook groups and other groups for support – there is a very good community out there

Can you tell us about one high point and one challenging point in your adoption experience?

 high point is when our son came into the picture, of course. Nothing can beat the feeling of meeting your child for the first time, bonding with them, and knowing we were going to be parents.  Our transition was a little bit longer than we expected but it was very worth it. By the time J officially moved in, we had already mastered the attachment piece of the process.

A challenging point, aside from matches falling through, was dealing with the emotional attachment of Jamestin’s foster parents. He grew up with the family and as much as we were very happy for ourselves, seeing the foster family grieve for their loss was hard to watch.

You participated in this video for the Belonging Network. How has your life changed since then? Is there anything you’d like to comment on regarding the video?

Our life has not changed much since then. We are still a normal family going through our everyday routines, though we do get people who recognize us and ask questions. We send people who inquire to the video or direct them to the Belonging Network site. 

 But this is a good indication that the video is helping with awareness, and gives an opportunity for potential parents, particularly in the LGBTQ community to consider adoption.

How Belonging Network made a difference to your family?

They are AMAZING!!!! 

The Belonging Network provides us with lots of support, even after hours.  They have proven themselves to be not just a service-oriented organization, but they have also become friends who watch out for our emotional well-being. The Belonging Network has also been instrumental in connecting our family to others and bringing us into a wonderful community where we have commonalities.