Colorado foster couple provides safe space for medically fragile children

According to the Department of Human Services, more than 650 children and teens were adopted out of foster care, last year. There are nearly 300 more children who are still in foster care and are eligible for adoption. Permanency is the goal for every child. The state tries to reunite children with their biological parents if at all possible. When that is not possible, the children are eligible for adoption. At any given time there are about 300 children across Colorado who are eligible for adoption. 

Malkahm and Everly are rambunctious 4-year-olds. They dance and play like any other children their age. 

"You would never know on a good day that our kids have issues at all other than their back packs with their little feeding tubes," said Kelly, the children's adoptive mother. "We try to make it that way as much as possible. They don't know that this is out of the norm."

Both Malkahm and Everly have complicated heart issues. Everly has a severe congenital heart defect, called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. That means that the left side of Everly's heart is underdeveloped and wasn't able to pump enough blood to her body. She started life needing surgery. 

"Malkahm has a heart transplant, and that's definitely a whole new learning curve for us," Kelly explained. 

Kelly and her husband, Kevin, have been on this curve before. They've been foster parents for 22 years with a focus on medically fragile children. 

"Kids that needed something more that we might be able to offer," Kevin added. 

Kelly had worked in special education, and felt like she had the patience and skills to care for children like Malkahm and Everly. 

"We kind of got thrown into the deep end. We thought we were wadding in, but the first kiddo that we got were were told, 'Oh, they've just got a couple of needs.' In the end, they had like 25, and it just kept getting more complicated, more complicated, more complicated. It's a constant learning curve, and so you just remain open to learning all the time," Kelly said. 

'Humility is huge. Just to be able to say, 'Wait a minute. That didn't work so well.' or 'That didn't go right.' or 'Not how we  expected it to.' and to be willing to learn and move on," Kevin explained. 

 Over the years, the couple have fostered dozens and adopted 5 children. Peyton is one of their adopted daughters. She came to them before she was two-years-old. She was only supposed to stay with one night. Now she's 20-years-old and going to college. 

"I think I thought I was a good parent with my first two biological children, and I thnk one of the things that foster care teaches you is that you know nothing," Kelly said with a laugh. 

Together they nurture and lift their little ones up making them feel safe and loved. 

"Sometimes it is the simple being loved piece that changes them. Everly Couldn't stand being touched. She spent 13-months nearly in the hospital without a lot of parental interaction. With her autism, she just learned to scare people away. So she didn't want her diaper changed, didn't want to be touched, 'don't touch my hair.' Now she's the most bubbly, friendly, happy, go-lucky kid," Kelly explained. 

"People tell our kids what they can't do or won't do and all of our kids, these two especially, when they say, 'You'll never do this,' and always blow it out of the water," Kevin said. 

It's not just the children who exceed expectations. Kevin and Kelly blow it out of the water too. 

"It makes a difference in your life. It changes who you are, number one, and it changes their life trajectory, even if it's just a little bit," Kelly added. 

A change in trajectory is exactly what most children who are living in foster care need. Those are the kids who need stable, loving people to open their homes to them. 

LINK: Wednesday's Child on CBS Colorado

About 37-percent of adoptions, nationwide, happen through the foster care system. Learn more about foster to adopt by going to co4kids.org.