Orphan cried when leaving American foster family. Then he got video call with a question that changed his life

Sebastian was just 11 years old when he boarded a plane back to Colombia, heartbroken and clinging to the memory of the summer he spent with the Barkey family in California. He was hosted by JoBen and Amanda Barkey and their four children, through a program run by Kidsave.org — a nonprofit that connects older children with prospective adoptive families. During his stay, he developed close ties with the family, especially the four children: Asher, Judah, Mishayla, and Jameis. "He knew he had lived his dream but it had come to an end. He was desperate for one more day," JoBen said. What Sebastian didn't know was that he was soon going to be adopted by these people he idolized.

Under Colombian law, the Barkeys were not permitted to inform Sebastian of their intentions during the hosting period, nor could they tell their own children, fearing the risk of breaking program rules. Barkey told Happily that Sebastian "knew he had lived his dream but it had come to an end" after returning to Colombia. But, three weeks later, the Barkeys surprised Sebastian with a video call in which each family member asked if he wanted to become part of their family. "He burst into tears because he missed us so much. But he still had no idea we wanted to adopt him," Barkey said. The moment was captured on video and widely shared across social media platforms, including Happily's YouTube channel.

The family began the formal adoption process shortly after their hosting period ended. They submitted immigration paperwork to the U.S. government, raised funds, and waited for official approval to sponsor Sebastian’s adoption. Once approved, the family traveled to Colombia in winter to finalize the process. On December 13, the court finalized the adoption and Sebastian legally became Sebastian Barkey. "The kids just ran towards each other and burst into tears in a big group hug. The moment we saw him, a flood of emotions came over all of us," Barkey said of the reunion.

While Sebastian found a family, there are still many children hoping for the same. As per the U.S. Adoption & Foster Care statistics in 2022, more than 369,000 children are currently in the foster care system, and over 108,000 of them are legally eligible for adoption. Even the Barkeys faced various obstacles throughout the adoption, including the rejection of a major grant due to Sebastian being older and out of birth order. The Barkeys turned to their community for help, sharing their story online and inviting others to be part of what they called "Sebastian’s Tribe."

JoBen told Happily, "I messaged so many people on Facebook over the next 24 hours they shut my account down for a while. We realized we had many friends who would love to be a part of this story." Now back together, the family of seven is focused on the future. The story hit home for many viewers, who expressed their thoughts in the comments. @ericmichael4796 highlighted, "The most beautiful part is how tightly the siblings are holding their brother." @annegordon6725 commented, "It's lovely that the family adopted an older child. Hope he has a great life." @Nigelsmom2136 expressed, "The love they all have for each other is wonderful to see."