A four-year-old girl jumped for joy when her supportive classmates turned up at her adoption day to surprise her as she left the courtroom.
David and Christine West, from Alliance, Nebraska, have been waiting to make Brianna-Cate’s adoption official for almost three years, having become her guardians in August 2021.
The couple started caring for Brianna in tragic circumstances: they were best friends with Brianna’s parents, Brian and Catherene Johnson, before a car accident killed the pair on April 23, 2021.
Brianna was trapped in the vehicle for four hours before she was helicoptered to Aurora to undergo treatment for a fractured leg and a cut on her head.
Under David and Christine’s care, Brianna was accepted into Kiddie Kampus, a pre-preschool offered by Alliance Public Schools, where she made friends and found a support network.
When her adoption was set to become official, Brianna’s teachers for the previous two years suggested holding a class celebration.
The children in Brianna’s class were encouraged to make signs and drawings – and on March 4, they headed to Box Butte County Courthouse in Alliance on their school bus.
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Once Brianna, David and Christine’s session were completed, the family headed out through the courtroom doors, where they were greeted by Brianna’s classmates, who they did not know would be showing up.
Having seen her friends, Brianna started jumping for joy in the lobby while her new parents fought back tears.
David said: “I glanced at the door and saw a balloon through the tinted glass, so I knew something was up.
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“Brianna-Cate was all over the room, which amused the judge.
“She even got up on the witness stand and sat with the judge’s gavel in hand during the hearing.
“After the hearing, we got pictures with the judge while Jenny (Brianna’s teacher) slipped out to organize Brianna’s classmates with her assistants.
“So, when we walked out, we got the surprise. Brianna was so happy.
“This was a long time coming, and I was holding back tears of joy, as was Brianna.
“Our lawyer from Omaha, Seamus Kelly, had never seen something like it in all his years, nor had the judge.
“The message we hope others take from this story is tragedy doesn’t have to spiral downward.
“Love can lift us from any disaster.”