We've watched these children grow up, here on Adopt 8. Over the past four years, we've featured siblings Kandy and Cesar three times, as they patiently waited to find a forever family.
It broke my heart, each time we met, to see them so frustrated and sad, which is why I couldn't be more thrilled to finally share with you their Adopt 8 success story.
Just one word, is all 11-year-old Kandy needs to describe how she's feeling these days:
"Happy."
Now that she's part of a forever family, it's something she and her 10-year-old brother Cesar have been waiting to find for five long years.
We first met Kandy when she was seven and Cesar was six. It was 2008, and we profiled the pair, along with their two little brothers, who were living in a separate foster home at the time.
But by 2010, when we featured Kandy and Cesar again, life had gotten a bit harder, after seeing their two younger brothers get adopted without them.
San Diego County Adoptions tries its best to keep siblings together, but that's not always possible. And so Kandy and Cesar continued to wait for their turn, while being moved in and out of several different foster homes and emergency shelters.
Last year, we checked in with Kandy and Cesar for a third time - their spirits somewhat crushed. They thought they had found a mom and dad, but through no fault of their own, their social worker says Kandy and Cesar were given back. The family had a change of heart.
But now, all of that has changed. One of the foster families that Kandy and Cesar had lived with at different times through their years in the system just couldn't bear to see Kandy and Cesar suffer one more disappointment and failed placement. So, the woman they had called Miss Ruth decided it was time for them to call her mom.
"I feel happy, grateful and blessing, because I want to do something for the Lord because he do a lot for me so I want to do something to care some of his kids," said Ruth.
Ruth has fostered nine children over the past nine years and had already committed to adopting Jasmine, when she decided to take in Kandy and Cesar, as well. So Ruth, who has three biological children ages 16, 18 and 21, has now doubled her brood.
They say Kandy and Cesar are joyful kids who are loving and trusting now that they know they will never have to pick up and leave again. To meet other children in foster care and discover how you can help restore their hope, please visit Rivers of Hope.
If you're interested in adopting or becoming a foster family, call 1-877-I- ADOPT-U.
