The Alliance for Children's Rights

Kim and Fred Millner decided to adopt from Los Angeles foster care because they couldn't have children. Fred actually grew up in the foster care system but was never adopted, and always felt that he wanted to be able to give a child the love and security he never had. At first Kim wasn't sure, but realized that the love they had for one another was so strong that they could share that with a child who needed love more than anything else.

After starting the process, Kim and Fred were becoming discouraged about finding a match when they received a call from their social worker about a 4-month old baby boy. The baby had been born prematurely, with low birth weight and pre-natally exposed to drugs. He had been placed with an aunt who had abused him as an infant. Tragically, the baby's one year old brother had died from the abuse. The baby was in the hospital recovering from bruising and broken arms and ribs, and he was not making eye contact. Kim asked the social worker when the baby had been born. It was a sign: the baby had been born on their wedding anniversary. "Fred and I burst into tears. At that moment we decided that no matter what, this was our baby".

They went to the hospital and before they could even see the him, they received a host of warnings: he could be blind, brain damaged or delayed; because he was so young, the doctors couldn't predict how he would recover. When Kim and Fred first met him, they saw through the bruises to the most beautiful baby they'd ever laid eyes on. Despite his lack of eye contact and withdrawn demeanor, he immediately responded to their affection. "It was like he surrendered in my arms the first time I held him", remembers Fred.

They named him AJ and took him home with them as soon as he was ready. Within weeks, the baby, AJ, was making a miraculous recovery – laughing, smiling and bonding to his new parents. After a couple years of love, stability and extremely devoted parents, AJ is now 2½ and is as happy and healthy as can be. He is absolutely thriving: on track developmentally, social, active and friendly – you would never know he came from such a hard start. The Alliance completed AJ's adoption, which was more like a party, on 2008's National Adoption Day. Fred summed it up beautifully: "The first time he reached his arms out and said, 'Daddy', was the greatest gift I've ever received".