An Adoption Victory at the Last Minute

There is no standard process to adoption, but Daniel and Heather Sydes had a particularly unusual path to adopting their son Cody. Daniel and Heather are citizens of the United Kingdom and moved to the United States when Daniel’s company offered him the opportunity to transfer. In the U.K. Daniel and Heather had been involved in the Sea Cadets program for a combined total of over 40 years. Daniel was even a Sea Cadet when he was a kid. It seemed natural that they would continue their association with Sea Cadets once they moved to the U.S.

The Sydes met Cody through the Sea Cadets. Cody joined the program when he was 17. He had an interest in joining the Navy, so his independent living coach suggested he look into the program. Cody had been in foster care since he was 11 and was expecting to age out of foster care without a family. Daniel says he saw potential in Cody as soon as he met him. Heather did not have the same positive first impression of Cody and the bleach-blonde highlights in his hair. Although Daniel and Heather had mentioned adoption before they met Cody, it was never a serious topic of conversation. After the couple had known Cody for a few months, Daniel expressed what they were both feeling---they wanted to adopt Cody. “Every child deserves a family no matter what age they are,” said Heather. “There was something in Cody that we both felt made him the right fit for our family. It seems that we matched ourselves.” Daniel and Heather only had six months to the entire adoption process before Cody turned 18.

The family’s caseworker at Adopt America Network expedited their home study, found online classes and books to use as alternatives to traditional adoption training classes, and made sure the Sydes could adopt with green cards. “There was a big team of people that worked together to make this happen,” said Heather. “I can’t thank everyone enough. We were walked through  the process every step of the way.” Cody was placed with the Sydes four months before he turned 18. However, a child is required to be in placement with a family for six months before an adoption can be finalized, unless the requirement is waived by a judge. Cody went to the judge himself to ask if the judge would waive the requirement so he could be adopted. The judge agreed and set a date for his adoption finalization on the spot. The adoption was finalized just five days before Cody’s 18th birthday. During the finalization the judge said, “It is a rare and unique day when we get victories like this.” When the judge asked Daniel why he wanted to adopt Cody, Daniel said, “Cody has tremendous potential. We know that and he is starting to realize that. He is already a part of our family.”

When Cody first met the Sydes, he had the challenges of any teenage boy coupled with the fact that he could not get his driver’s license or have friends over to spend the night while he was in foster care. He was just coasting through school. Since he came to live with Daniel and Heather, he was able to graduate high school with pride, finishing his final semester with straight A’s. His confidence has grown, and he is developing into a fine young man. “I used to be a jerk,” said Cody. “I still am sometimes, but now that I have a family, I am a whole lot better.” In their few months together, the Sydes have already done so much as a family. They have traveled to Washington D.C. and Disney World. The family is looking forward to traveling to the U.K. so Cody can meet the rest of his new relatives. The adoption has changed the lives of Daniel, Heather, and Cody forever. “Cody makes us complete,” said Heather. Before the adoption, Cody was starved for affection and craved normality. “I was waiting forever for a family to adopt me,” said Cody. “I was a little nervous, but once I got to know the family, it was great.” Cody is now attending community college and planning to join the Navy.