Off The Record

Family Fostered A 12-Year-Old Boy That Nobody Wants – But Soon They Realized Who He Really Is

Published on March 9, 2024

Many kids don’t always grow up in homes where they are safe and loved. People who don’t have many wishes usually only want to feel loved somewhere. Indeed, this point of view is what made Kevin and Dominique Gill decide to take in foster children.

Their lives changed, though, when they took in a 10-year-old boy that no one else desired.

I didn’t know that not every kid had a mom and dad who loved them until I was a certain age.

Without a doubt, there are millions of kids in the world who don’t have a safe and loving home. A boy from Nashville, Tennessee, called Andrew, who is 12 years old, knows all about that.

There was a boy named Andrew who needed a foster parent in 2018. Dominique and Kevin Gill decided to take him in.

Introvert and aggressive

Andrew had no touch with his biological parents, and as a child, he moved around a lot of temporary homes set up by social services. He is said to have lived in foster care for about half of his short life.

For the ten-year-old, not having a safe place or anything to call “home” made him shy and afraid to talk to anyone. A number of people who met the boy thought he was socially distant.

Andrew was called “troublesome” by social services because he got angry quickly. A lot of people thought this was a reason not to help the boy, but Dominique and Kevin were set on doing so. They have always thought that giving kids safety and love could help them become good people.

Andrew lived with the couple in their villa in Nashville, Tennessee, for a short time as a foster kid. He would stay there until social services could find a family who wanted to adopt him.

But that was easier said than done because no one wanted Andrew and foster care was only a short-term fix. Like every other time.

#ThankYou Gill Family 😍 What a wonderful story Joc and Andrew. And I'm with them #FrostedCherryPopTarts! | A dream come true: Adoption unites best friends https://t.co/ZMmpI7PacO
— Karen Bowman (@KBow5) September 7, 2020

”He didn’t want to talk”

Speaking to WBIR Channel 10, Kevin and Dominique said that Andrew pulled away from people and didn’t interact with them at first. His only wish was to stay in his room and play video games. Often angry, he would lose his temper.

”During his first week with us, he sat in his room with the door closed, looking at old photos. He didn’t want to talk,” Andrew’s foster parents shared in their interview.

After a few weeks, Dominique, Kevin, and their biological children had a hard time with Andrew because he wouldn’t connect with anyone.

They didn’t give up on Andrew, though; they were very kind. Even though he was mad, they always reacted with love. Andrew came to know and understand that he was loved over time.

The foster parents’ original son didn’t feel anything for Andrew at first, but he now agrees with his parents that everyone should be given a chance.

The boys quickly found that they had a lot in common. Andrew lowered his guard when he knew that this family cared about him.

The boys began to play together like they were best friends, and the couple’s real son also did well. The boys liked getting together to eat pop tarts and play computer games. Also, Kevin and Dominique Gill, Joc’s parents, have always loved having Andrew around.

When it was time, social services thought Andrew was ready to move in with a new family.

”Our mindset was to help him until he found his permanent home,” Dominique explains.

Andrew was getting ready for yet another move. This was the first time in his life that he felt safe in a place.

”But after the second adoption fell through, I realized that God placed Andrew in our lives for a reason. God made sure the adoption didn’t work out so that he could come back to us,” Dominique reveals.

They asked Andrew to join their family, and he said “yes” loud and clear.

Now you can picture Andrew’s happiness and shock when, while walking in the park with Molly Parker (who works at Youth Villages), he heard the good news that the Gills were going to adopt him.

“I just turned around the corner and saw everybody,” Andrew said.

We don’t know which is sweeter: Andrew and Joc’s love of @KelloggsUS PopTarts, or the bond these two share! We are thrilled that Andrew has found his forever family with his best friend and new brother, Joc, and the Gill family. Thx @WSMV for sharing! https://t.co/OystsoBfwd pic.twitter.com/1w0uqDLtcc
— Youth Villages (@youthvillages) September 1, 2020

“They asked ‘will you?’ and I said ‘yeah!’”

It is known that more than 8,000 kids are looking for their forever home in the Tennessee Foster System. Thank goodness there’s one less because the Gills are kind and caring.

He said, “This is my brother Joc.”

“This is my brother, Andrew,” said Joc.

Now, Andrew and Joc have made a link that can’t be broken. They are truly brothers in every way.

Kevin and Dominique Gill never knew that Andrew was their son, the one they had been waiting for. He was definitely supposed to be a part of the Gill family.

These kinds of stories make me cry happy tears. It makes my heart happy that the Gills have taken Andrew in and given him a forever home.