North Carolina couple John and Holly Nelson recently expanded their family of five to a family of 10, adopting five siblings previously living in foster care. According to WFMY-TV, the decision to adopt was rather unexpected, as the Nelsons had planned on becoming empty-nesters once their adult children left their home.
But in 2014, John and Holly began babysitting for a foster family, and their plans took a major turn.
“As soon as they walked in the door, we knew [we] were going to be foster parents,” Holly Nelson told WFMY. “We had decided at that point that this is what we wanted to do.”
Family of five grows to ten after couple adopts five siblings https://t.co/nBc1ZyDGh7 pic.twitter.com/rOVyKLZGMq
— WFMY News 2 (@WFMY) June 6, 2017
Three years later, on March 27, 2017, the Nelsons officially adopted siblings Lele, Tyrone, Tylesha, Jeremiah, and Makayla. Before then, the siblings had been in foster care for more than 1,000 days, during which they moved around between five different homes.
“They’ve had a lot of losses, but we felt it’s really important that they have each other. And that’s a huge gain of being able to keep them together,” Holly said.
In order to keep all of the children together, the Nelsons sought the help of an adoption agency called Children’s Hope Alliance. And although the process to keep so many siblings together in one home can be complicated, John and Holly were eventually able to get the necessary paperwork approved.
Today, just over two months after the adoption, the Nelsons are enjoying the adventures of parenthood all over again.
“When they’re in foster care you don’t make the decisions you still have to run everything through the foster care social workers, through the agency workers, through the adoption workers,” Holly explained. “So when they’re yours – they’re yours. You get to parent them and love them and be mom and dad and do all the things for them that you would do for your regular children.”
Even before the adoption, the Nelsons were known in their community for their compassion and sacrifice. Last September, the couple saved a man’s life by performing CPR after his motorcycle collided with a tractor-trailer, flinging him into a front yard not far from the Nelson’s property.
Incredible story of inspiration! Tonight on @WFMY at 6, meet David Penix, who lost his leg in a motorcycle crash & lived to tell his story! pic.twitter.com/5zxdks3xFO
— Ben Powell (@benpowelltv) December 26, 2016
Penix lost his left leg, and he says he would have surely died if it wasn't for John & Holly Nelson who heard the crash & ran to help! @WFMY pic.twitter.com/XjtHtP8JnV
— Ben Powell (@benpowelltv) December 26, 2016
Speaking to WFMY back in December, Air Force Veteran, David Penix called the Nelsons his “true superheroes.” After hearing of the couple’s decision to adopt five children, Penix sent this message Monday to WFMY reporter Ben Powell:
Ben, just wanted to remind you…The story you did at 11:00 with John & Holly Nelson and getting custody of five kids from same mother which will keep the kids together in one very special family! These are the same people who saved my life on Sept. 24, 2016 when I had the motorcycle accident & lost my leg. The Nelson’s are truest super heroes!!
“It is amazing when you think about how many lives each of those kids will touch in the future and myself also,” Penix continued. “And I’m sure they are not finished with helping people! They are really true HEROS!”
(H/T: WFMY-TV)
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