A couple's lives were changed forever when they read the story of seven siblings desperately needing a home.
The brothers and sisters – who were aged one to 12 at the time – had spent the past year in foster care after their parents tragically passed away in a car accident.
In an interview with TODAY, Pam and Gary Willis explained that while they had fostered before, they had never considered adoption.
"I thought Gary was going to tell me I was wacko – we were getting ready to retire," she said.
After reading the news article on Facebook, Pam Willis, who has five biological children with her husband Gary, tagged him in the post, unsure how he would feel about potentially adopting them.
But despite the couple's advancing years, they both felt the same way about adopting the children, writing in an Instagram post: "We knew deep inside that this mission was being placed before us. If not us, then who?"
According to TODAY, despite receiving thousands of calls from interested potential adopters, the children were placed with the couple two months later.
When the children moved in with the couple, they soon learned that they had already gone through a lot in their lives, which made forming a relationship a tricky process.
"I think it's so hard to trust when so much has been taken from your life," she told the outlet. "Ruby didn't know how to be a kid. She had to be a mother figure at a very young age."
She added: "One night, my then-seven-year-old came into our room. I asked her, 'Did you have a bad dream?' And she replied, 'No, I just wanted to make sure that you were still here.' "
Pam and Gary adopted all seven of the children last August: Adelino, 15, Ruby, 13, Aleecia, nine, Anthony, eight, Aubriella, seven, Leo, five, and Xander, four.
While the ongoing pandemic prevented the couple from pursuing their original adoption day plans, Pam wrote on Instagram that "we made it happen and we made it special!"
Pam recently shared a highlight reel that she titled: "Our life in 15 seconds".
It showed off her life early life with Gary, the couple welcoming their five biological children, and eventually, the pair adopting seven more.
"They've given us a second chance at parenting, we've given them a second Mom and Dad," Pam captioned the post. "They are our Second Chance 7."
