Diane and Jason have been married for 19 years and began their relationship with the dream to one day adopt. In 2012, the two became licensed foster parents and started their foster care journey. In total, this couple welcomed five teenagers and four children into their home and have adopted four boys from foster care.
One day, the couple got a call to meet a 7-year-old boy who had his parental rights terminated and that’s where Alex comes in! Upon meeting him, they learned how sweet this boy was. This led to them adopting him, and now, Alex is turning 16-years-old.
Diane and Jason then picked up Julian from the hospital at 12-days-old as he was withdrawing from substances. He was only four pounds and were terrified to bring him home. Julian has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Now at the age of 8, he has overcome so much and is becoming an amazing artist.
Next, the two took in Esteban, who was 16 at the time, as a respite for another family. He fit in so well with the family that they knew if it was ever a possibility, they would adopt him. Esteban’s foster family disrupted his placement and he came to stay with the Loehrs. At first, Esteban was unsure of adoption but the Loehr’s welcomed him with open arms and ended up adopted him at the age of 18. Now, he is 24-years-old!
At this point, Diane and Jason thought they were done after three adoptions. However, it was early in the pandemic, they realized the need for more foster homes. They took in Dom, at the age of 8, as a respite and his foster family disrupted him shortly after. Dom had been in and out of foster care for almost 9 years and his biological mother swore she would never let anyone adopt him. After some time, Dom’s mother decided to give up her parental rights and their family was able to adopt him, giving him his forever home.
Another important member of their story is a baby they welcomed into their home, Noah. He came to them addicted to substances at one-month-old. At this point, he had already been through five foster homes. Noah, through no fault of his own, had a very difficult time being soothed and cared for. Eleven months of tears and trying, they determined that they were not what was best for Noah. They could not give him what he needed and this was heartbreaking for their family. They were able to find another family within their agency who took him in and have since adopted him. They are still connected with the couple and are known as ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle.’
This journey has been full of goodness and heartache for this family but they said, “we wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.”
If you or someone you know is a foster family and are interested in sharing your story with us, please visit Tell Your Story.
Written by Lexi Yoder, Bananas Foster