I have great admiration for those amazing individuals who choose to adopt and raise children as their own. It becomes even more remarkable when they open their hearts to more than one child, especially when they are siblings. The challenges they face are immense, but their love and compassion know no bounds.
As I reflect on my own childhood, I can’t fathom the thought of being separated from my siblings. The idea of being sent to different places and different homes is not only unsettling but also terrifying. Sadly, this is the reality endured by many brothers and sisters worldwide every year.
This was the harsh reality for six children in the US who spent a grueling five years in foster care. These siblings, aged seven to fourteen, faced the real possibility of being split apart. Finding a home willing to adopt all six of them together seemed like an insurmountable task, and time was running out.
But hope remained for Carlos, 14, Guadalupe, 13, Maria, 12, Selena, 10, Nasa, 9, and Max, 7, thanks to the kindness of Rob and Steve Anderson-McLean. This married couple from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, truly have hearts of gold. Even though they already had grown-up children, they felt compelled to make a difference when they learned about the plight of these six siblings.
The siblings had experienced neglect and abuse for five long years. Steve Anderson-McLean said, “We instantly fell in love. They’re very easy to make smile.” It was a heartbreaking background, but it was in the fall of 2017 that the parental rights were terminated.
In June 2018, Steve and Rob were first introduced to the children, and less than a year later, they officially adopted them. When a judge reminded them of their duty to care for these six children as their own, they didn’t hesitate one bit.
“We’ve known them for less than a year, but it feels as if our emotional bonds were years in the making,” said Rob Anderson-McLean. “There are no rules as to what can constitute a family, and the love that we share.”
Steve and Rob, without a doubt, are shining examples of the kind of compassionate human beings we should all strive to be. Through their love and determination, they have given these six siblings a second chance at happiness and stability.
Watch the heartwarming video below to see the incredible journey of these two fathers and the six siblings they blessed with a forever home:
