Toni and Lane with their son Dominic and baby daughter Sarah.
When Lane and Toni Dugas were contacted regarding the potential adoption placement of their daughter Sarah, they were eager to let their six-year-old son Dominic know about the new addition. When Toni shared the news with Dominic, he excitedly stated, “Let me go tell Dad!”
The joy and enthusiasm in the Dugas household were undeniably contagious. The couple had been working with Catholic Charities’ Adoption Services to adopt Sarah for about 18 months. Adoption Services is a full-service program that seeks to
link children of all ages to their forever families. Although Sarah’s adoption was closed, where the birth parents are not in contact with the adoptive parents, there is always flexibility later to make it open if everyone is in agreement.
Toni and Lane had struggled to start a family for quite some time prior to the open adoption of Dominic through Catholic
Charities, which took about two years. They first worked with a fertility institute, which became cost prohibitive.
“It wasn’t a good fit for us. They try to help you get pregnant at all costs. It didn’t make sense to me. If you have a child, you should provide a good environment and not be in debt from fertility treatments. We wanted to provide a stable
environment for our family in which they could flourish,” Toni said.
After looking into other options, Toni and Lane began giving adoption real consideration.
“We came to Catholic Charities and liked how the protocol worked. They try to keep the baby and mom together, offer
counseling and support for mom so when she decides to do adoption, it is really what she wants to do. We felt strongly about
that. It mattered how the parents felt about their decision. We see the child as such a gift, and we want the parents who gave us this gift to be happy and feel satisfied about their decision,” Toni said.
For parents in similar situations, Toni and Lane recommend keeping an open mind, trusting the process, and to be comfortable with waiting.
“Danna and Cindy at Adoption Services were knowledgeable and careful about each step in the process. Concern for the birth mom and the adoptive family were always their main priority. The waiting isn’t easy, especially when it’s close to getting a baby placed with you. But there is comfort knowing that you are dealing with an agency that has your best interest in mind,” said Lane.
For more information, visit ccano.org/adoption.
