This upcoming book brings together the powerful stories of four adoptive mothers whose families began with hope, love, and the promise of belonging. These women, whose journeys unfolded in ways they could never have anticipated, became moms who turned adversity into advocacy. They are fueled by the shared appreciation of how a lived-experience expert advocate coming alongside them during their tumultuous years could have changed their journeys.

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Through Cheri’s and Maureen’s stories of adoption, alongside the experiences of two other adoptive mothers. Readers will see what can happen when children living with complex trauma and profound challenges express their needs through big—and sometimes overwhelming—behaviors. These deeply personal accounts reveal the progression from hope to confusion to crisis, and the difficult reality of navigating schools, behavioral health services, child welfare systems, and other institutions while fighting to keep their family safe, supported, understood, and together.​

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This important collection is currently being prepared for publication and will be available soon. We invite you to learn about the book before its release, follow its journey toward publication, and be among the first to know when it becomes available (Fall 2026).