Women Convinces Sisters To Adopt Her Daughter's Siblings
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It takes a special kind of love to adopt.
As CBS 2's Vince Gerasole found out in court today, it can surprise even the families who traveled the long road to adoption.
Cameras don't usually get to see a judge's adoption approval, but CBS 2 got a special inside look.
Asia and Keil were fostered by their fathers since infancy, but Friday their family became complete.
"I wasn't expecting to feel different," said Joe Grissom. "But when the judge said everything she did, it was very emotional."
November 18 marks National Adoption Day. Every adoption story is special, but CBS 2 focused Friday on the story of Gabriella Gooden and her mother, Angela.
9-year-old Gabriella Gooden said the best part of a big family is "to know they love me and care for me."
"We just attached and we fell in love," said Angela Gooden, Gabriella's mother.
That was a few years back when Gabby has a special Christmas request.
Her Christmas wish was her brother and sister, because "I loved them and I wanted them to have a better life."
Angela reach out to her own sisters and said why not?
The question of 'why not' in regards to her sisters following in her footsteps not only adopt, but adopt Gabriella's siblings.
"My kids were grown and I didn't want to start over," said empty-nester sister, Kim Mitchel-Davis.
"My husband and I were single," said sister, Annette. "We did not have any kids."
Then Kim met Nadia.
"There's enough love in my heart to share and I fell in love with her," Mitchel-Davis said.
And Annette met Jose.
"I took him in as mine and once I adopted him, that is my child," Annette said.
Today Nadia's adoption was the last of the siblings to be approved, in a family with love to spare.
"We always been a close knit family," Mitchel Davis said. "But it's brought us closer now."
"It took a little convincing," Gooden said. "But they did it and I am so grateful that they did."
All three sisters live near each other in the south suburbs. Two of children attend the same school, and they are almost always all together, every day.
