A 12-year-old from the Philippines jumped with joy when his new U.S. family surprised him with a cake revealing his dream of being adopted was about to come true.
Parents Holly and Ariel Romero, from Charlotte, North Carolina, already had four biological children of their own when they decided back in 2014 that they wanted to adopt.
Their family is of Filipino American descent, so they decided to look to the Philippines for children who may be looking for a family.
After adopting a 16-year-old into their family, they later wanted to adopt again, and from the moment they met Kiko in May 2023, the youngster immediately took to calling Ariel and Holly ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad.’
In the Philippines adoption program, you must have a child in a family’s care for a minimum of six months before the country will send a“Consent to Adopt,” allowing families to go to court and finalize the adoption.
During his time living with the Romeros in America, Kiko would enthusiastically keep asking when the family could head to court and make his adoption official.
All Holly and Ariel could respond was, “soon,” and then, in February 2024, the couple received an email from their adoption agency to say that the Consent to Adopt had arrived.
They decided to plan a big surprise for Kiko, headed to a local bakery, where they asked for a cake that said, “We’re going to court!”
When Kiko was presented with the sweet treat, he initially looked surprised, taking everything in, before jumping from his seat and punching the air and his chest when he realized what was happening.
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As he yelled, “YES, SIR!” all his siblings cheered with joy.
On the day in court, Ariel, 43, read out an emotional note about the importance of Kiko’s adoption and what he means to the family.
She said: “Our adoption agency emailed us on that day and said our Consent to Adopt had arrived, so we decided to surprise Kiko.
All his siblings were around and presented the cake to him, and they were just as excited and happy for their brother.
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“To know everything he has lost just to get a family and to see him so excited, I’ll forever hold his joy –and ours – in my heart.
“Every adoption story starts with a loss – the loss of first family, and for many kids, the loss of their culture and country – but there can be beauty in adoption too.
“I want others to know that older child adoption can be so amazing, and these kids need and want families too.”
