6th Grader Gets the First Birthday Cake of His Life After Being Adopted
Distressed Patriotic Flag Unisex T-Shirt - Celebrate Comfort and Country $11.29 USD Get it here>>
A sixth grader, adopted alongside his brother from an orphanage in Sierra Leone, has had a series of “firsts” since starting his new life in the United States. But seeing his first-ever birthday cake was about more than he could handle.
Abraham broke into floods of grateful tears as his adoptive mom, Jamie Walker, brought his cake into the room and the family sang “Happy Birthday!” Footage of the moving moment has since gone viral on social media.
“This was the moment I knew he’d been waiting for,” Jamie wrote on Facebook. “His very first birthday cake. One for just him. One with his name on it … what a gift this moment was. Incredibly simple yet wholly significant.”
An emotional Abraham leaped from his chair and passed his brother into his adoptive father, Joe Walker’s, arms, then his mother’s. His family implored, “Make a wish, make a wish!” but Abraham had never done this before.
“As it unfolded, it dawned on me that Abraham would have no idea what ‘make a wish’ meant, so we let him have a redo,” said Jamie.
Upon re-watching the footage, Jamie’s daughter, Riley, asked whether Abraham’s tears were happy tears. The mom replied yes; “those tears are what joy looks like.”
Jamie and Joe, who have four biological children, finalized their adoption of Abraham and his ninth grader brother, James, in November 2021.
Joe had bonded with James during a visit to his friend’s orphanage, Raining Season Orphanage in Sierra Leone, for their 10-year anniversary.
According to a report by WCNC, during his visit to the orphanage, Joe read a lot of books and played soccer with the local kids. This is where he had his first interaction with James.
Despite Joe returning back to the United States, he stayed in touch with James via a cell phone he had gifted him and they’d Skype every month. The family had even begun sponsoring James.
However, six months later, the Walkers learned that James had been forced out of his orphanage. As James went back to his village, Joe was introduced to his little brother Abraham. The concerned family would stay in touch with the siblings by FaceTiming them for 30 seconds every day.
After meeting Abraham, and having both brothers sent back to the safe environs of the orphanage, Joe approached his family about adoption. It was a unanimous “yes” from Jamie and their kids.
They then asked the brothers, who were really excited to be with a family. The Walkers then began to get the paperwork ready.
Despite some challenges due to travel restrictions owing to the pandemic, the brothers made it to America in November 2021. Since arriving in Charlotte, North Carolina, the sibling duo have had the opportunity to experience a lot of firsts, such as their first real haircuts, first car wash, and the first day of school.
Jamie told Queen City News that her adopted sons’ paperwork from Sierra Leone is unreliable, so their birth certificates state they are older than Jamie and Joe suspect them to be. While Abraham celebrated his birthday on May 19, nobody knows exactly how old he is.
The boys never even knew what a birthday was before they were adopted.
“It just feels like God is showing all the blessings in you,” Abraham described to the outlet. “Everybody in the whole world is giving you their best love that they have ever given. That is what it feels like to have that cake.”
For his cake, and so much more, the birthday boy is forever grateful to his new family.
“They’re the ones that showed me to the world, and showed me what happiness is, and showed me what love is, and showed me what it means to have a family around you,” he said.
Watch the tear-jerking video:
(Courtesy of Jamie Walker)
Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
