MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — A family with big hearts has just added another important chapter to their story. One organization tells us this family is meeting an important need.
The Bone family walked into a courtroom, traveling with an entourage of other families and kids. Mom and Dad — Caleb and Ruchala — don't mind the help.
"Always fun!" Ruchala laughed between wrangling children. "Never hard! Never chaotic! Just fun."
Let's go back a bit. I first met the family in 2022. The Bones always knew they'd have a big family, but their whole outlook was changed when their first child, Griffin, was born with a heart condition.
"We spent a lot of time at Vanderbilt," Ruchala continued. "He needed open heart surgery when he was 3 months old."
While there, the Bones learned there are many children with complicated medical situations in the foster care system. They decided to do something about it. At the time of this 2022 visit, they'd just adopted a child named Maurice, who needed a kidney transplant.
Flash forward to today, Maurice has had that transplant and is healthy and happy. The Bones have now either fostered or adopted four children with complicated medical situations. Finding families like them is so important to Suzanne Jones of Youth Villages.
"We have a lot of children who end up coming to us out of hospitals," she explained. "Foster parents have to go through training at the hospital, so sometimes that can be daunting. They have to go through the full medical training to know how to care for their medically needy child."
"There are hard days, and sometimes, at the beginning, it can seem overwhelming," Ruchala said. "However, the joy and privilege of knowing our kids and getting to walk with them through their hardest days has made it all worth it."
That brings us to Isabella. "Can you say hi?" Ruchala asked, carrying a 2-year-old little girl. She waved excitedly.
Isabella came to live with the Bones at 5 months old and shortly after had open heart surgery. A lot of her early life was spent in a hospital.
"Today is Isabella's adoption day," Ruchala smiled. "Hooray!" said Griffin.
Youth Villages said children with these complex medical situations are covered by TennCare and remain eligible even after adoption. There's also a foster parent stipend and further assistance available for children with more unique needs.
"Good morning," said Circuit Court Judge Darrell L. Scarlett, speaking to the Bone family. "Do you believe it's in her best interest to be adopted by you and your wife?" "Yes," Caleb answered.
"Congratulations to ya," said Judge Scarlett. The crowd of families watching applauded.
"I don't know if we'd say we feel chosen or we're the right people, but we said yes," Ruchala said.
"They are absolutely angels on earth," Suzanne said. "They are just the best kinds of people."
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
I believe there are angels who walk this earth, and without a doubt, Ms. Donna Neal is one of them. She saw the need for foster parents and never looked back. She is a great example of being the change you want to see in the world.
-Carrie Sharp
