Celebrating the Huck Family Adoption!
Stacey Huck began providing respite care in 2021 after recognizing that her friend, who was a foster mom, needed more flexibility to travel. Stepping in to meet the need, Stacey began welcoming two sisters, who were in her friend’s care, for short-term visits. Over time, her lending hand turned into a deeper connection. “We formed a relationship and I became her respite provider during the course of the next few months,” Stacey shared.
Soon, Stacey and her friend learned the girls’ biological mom was pregnant. No one knew yet whether the baby boy, who they would soon know as Kai, would need to be welcomed into a foster home, so the wait for more information began.
When Kai was born, it was clear he needed a safe, loving place to call home. His sisters’ foster mom was unable to welcome a third child, so the call went to Stacey instead. Stacey leaned into the need, and Kai came home to the Huck family when he was just six days old.
What followed was a long, uncertain road, one that many foster families know all too well. Visits with Kai’s biological mom were inconsistent, going from weekly to biweekly. After two years, Kai’s biological father was located, which meant another year of delay while he was given time to decide whether he would be part of Kai’s life. Around the same time, Kai’s sisters’ case hit its own roadblock, waiting months for the court to exhaust every effort to track down their biological father.
Through most of it, Stacey never thought that she would be a forever home for Kai. “Ultimately I had no intention of adopting,” she said. “Originally when he came to me, we thought Kai would go live with the man they thought was his father.” But when that test came back revealing he was not the father, everything shifted. “That was about the point where I started to think maybe he would stay with us,” Stacey recalled.
The uncertainty was difficult, and Stacey was left with questions unanswered while paperwork piled up. As visits kept getting rescheduled, it made it hard to know what was next. But through all of it, Stacey didn’t have to walk alone.
“I leaned on Coyote Hill pretty heavily,” Stacey said. “I absolutely loved Lisa.” Lisa Evans, the Hucks’ Family Advocate at the time, described Stacey’s devotion to Kai.
“For more than three years, Stacey has been her son’s advocate and safe space. She is a fierce protector. What a blessing it’s been to have walked along Stacey and her family in this journey and be a witness to the love, safety, and stability they’ve provided for the children that have entered their home.”
Stacey found something she needed through the process: a safe place to be honest about the hard days. “I don’t think that I could’ve done it without a safe place to vent,” Stacey said.
Stacey’s yes to respite care eventually led her to calling Kai her son. On August 24, 2026, his adoption by the Huck family was finalized. Through the journey, Stacey and her family demonstrated faithfulness, always keeping a safe home for Kai as the end goal no matter where the road took them. When it became clear that Kai did not have a safe home with his biological mother, Stacey and her family stepped into that painful realization with grace, choosing Kai to be their own. Now Kai is forever home, and the Huck family has said their forever yes.
Learn how you can take Stacey’s first step of providing respite care or look at other next steps!
