Alex’s story is a heartwarming story of perseverance and hope. Although he experienced several foster care placements and struggled to find a permanent home, he never lost faith in the possibility of being adopted.
Alex was three years old when he originally came into foster care. At the age of 13, he had lived with 15 different families in the previous 11 years before finding his forever family.
Jenny and Stephen Madkour first saw Alex on Jeff Gianola’s “Wednesday’s Child” program in October 2017. After hearing about the child’s difficult past and how he was beginning to lose hope of being adopted, they were excited to meet him.
Alex found it hard to believe that he was still adaptable considering that he had never actually lived in his own house.
During their conversation, Gianole admitted that he hadn’t made many lasting connections before. This story touched Jenny and Stephen very deeply. They wanted a chance to get to know him because they thought they could relate to his hardships.
Boys and Girls Aid introduced the Madkour family to Alex and both families hit it off immediately. Alex claimed he had trouble trusting adults as a result of moving around frequently in foster care. But he claimed that once he saw Jenny and Stephen, he felt at home.
The couple met Alex in 2017 around Thanksgiving and invited him to move in just before Christmas. In 2018, they formally adopted him.
There aren’t many foster homes available near Portland, Oregon, where Alex, Jenny, and Stephen live. In 2018, there were 200 children awaiting adoption in the state and 800 children in foster care. Keep reading to learn more about Alex’s life-changing encounter.
It was because of his appearance on television that Alex first came to the attention of the Madkours. Jenny told the KOIN news team, “Anyone who’s seen that video with Alex, the core of him is amazing in that video.” The way Jeff Gianola interacted with Alex and their friendship “really gave us a glimpse of who Alex is,” the author claims.
When Boys & Girls Aid first told the youngster that the family was considering adopting him, he was understandably skeptical. “I didn’t believe them,” Alex said. It will not happen; you all are just trying to fool me.
Alex’s life before meeting Jenny and Stephen was, to put it mildly, difficult. He admitted that it was quite difficult for him to think, “Okay, I’m leaving this home and going to another home, in two weeks.”
Because there aren’t enough foster homes in Oregon, the Madkours knew they wanted to adopt an older child. It wasn’t until they saw Alex that they realized they were the right match. We searched for a very long time, said Jenny.
After spending time getting to know Alex, the couple urged him to move into their home and become part of their family. I said, ‘We’ve got a spare bedroom,'” Stephen recounted. The Madkour family is holding on tight now that the boy has entered their lives.
The current state of Alex’s life is his happiest of all. He told the news crew, “I didn’t think I would find such a good forever home.”
The ultimate goal should be to ensure that every child has a safe, stable, and loving home. By supporting foster children and families, we can work towards this vision and ensure a better future for the next generation. Alex’s story serves as a reminder of the resilience of foster youth and the transformative power of love and support.
I am so happy for all of them but especially this handsome young man. I would have loved to hear the conversation in this picture with him holding the puppy dog, Was it his dog, did he get to keep it or did the family already have the dog and the boy was getting acquainted with it . ???? I ask because boys and dogs go hand and hand, they need each other and dogs have proved to be the material a young boy needs to grow into a good man. God bless them all.