HOUSTON – For some couples dreaming of starting a family through adoption, it can be a long and expensive process. That's why many of them are now turning to social media and total strangers to help them cover the costs.
Katie and Daniel Campbell have one son, 3-year-old Liam. They love kids and knew they wanted more, but complications for Katie before and after labor led them to adoption.
"We have always wanted to have, you know, four, five children and then after we had the pregnancy that I had, which was especially difficult for me emotionally, kind of like, 'I won't be able to do that,'" Katie said.
After deciding on adoption, the Campbells realized the cost was overwhelming. They chose to share their struggle and story with family, friends and total strangers, hoping their story would inspire others to help.
"We looked at a couple different options," said Daniel. "There's Kickstarter and Gofundme and a couple of different things."
They set up a page on Gofundme.com, seeking donations to help. Their goal is to raise $30,000 to help cover the cost of an adoption. So far they've raised over $16,200.
"It's been a blessing because we've received gifts from people that we don't even personally know, just that have seen the Gofundme account from a friend who shared it on their Facebook page and thought it was a good, worthwhile thing to donate towards," Katie said.
Atasha Kelley-Harris, who is program manager of adoption and post-adoption with Delpchin in Houston, said the average cost for private domestic adoptions can be between $10,000 and $50,000.
"Much of that is due to the support to the birth moms," Kelley-Harris said. "And the biggest cost involved is housing for birth moms."
Kelley-Harris said legal fees also factor into the cost. She said it's a risky process, too.
"We go on to prepare them to not get their hopes up too high until, you know, it's really done, the baby is actually born, the birth mom does wait that 48 hours before signing relinquishments and deciding to place," said Kelley-Harris.
In many cases, birth moms change their minds and decide to keep their babies, and much of the money invested can be lost. Turning to crowdfunding to help foot the bill is becoming more common. There are thousands of couples hoping to adopt on Gofundme.com alone.
For the Campbells, they are just thrilled to be getting closer to their goal of $30,000 and to getting to welcome another child into their family.