Published on February 17, 2017
Get to know two of our Therapeutic Family Services (TFS) foster children!
D.A. is a five year old boy who has been in CCANO’s Therapeutic Family Services program since March 2015. When D.A. came to us, he was diagnosed with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia and was immediately placed on a donor registry to receive a bone marrow transplant, which he received in October 2015. Because of his illness and complications from the transplant, D.A. has very stringent guidelines that his foster mother must adhere to, including wearing a mask at all times when out in the community.
Additionally, D.A.’s foster parent’s home must be spotless at all times, he is unable to attend school or daycare and he must make several visits per week to the hospital clinic for follow-up treatments. D.A. has been hospitalized several times since his transplant because of infections and high fevers.
In spite of all this, D.A. is a happy, smart, friendly child who loves Spiderman, ice cream, honey barbecue corn chips and sports-related video games. He also loves to talk and be around other children. He is a trooper with a bright future ahead of him!
J.C. is a 16 year old girl who has lived in a Therapeutic Family Services foster home since 2011. She has overcome a struggle with depression to reveal many talents and interests that allow her to shine. J.C. loves to have her hair done, manicures, make-up and dressing in the latest styles.
Her future goal is to be a cosmetologist because she believes that doing hair is her greatest talent. In addition to her passion for fashion, J.C. loves anything electronic, cooking and spending time alone. She also enjoys participating in her school’s dance team and is excited to do so again this year. J.C. is smart and can achieve anything if she puts her mind to it.
According to J.C., the best things about foster care are that she has a safe home, that there’s always someone who cares about her and loves her, that she doesn’t have to worry about where her next meal is coming from and that there’s always someone to talk to. In her own words, J.C. is “just a normal teenaged girl who loves electronic devices and boys.”
Therapeutic Family Services (TFS) matches children with moderate to severe emotional, behavioral or developmental problems or medically fragile children with families who provide specialized foster care. TFS also trains and supports prospective foster parents. The program is always looking for additional foster parents! If you’re interested, you can get more information here.
