Jordan Dickerson works as a pediatric nurse at a children's hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Back in January 2017, she an met exuberant four-year-old boy named Jeremiah, and felt an instant connection. Jeremiah was receiving medical assistance through a tracheostomy tube, and was in search of a forever family.
"We fell in love with his smile and his joy," Jordan explained to Good Morning America. "We just knew he was going to fit in our family. There was no denying it. I knew there was something different about him I couldn't get him out of my head. I called my husband and said, 'Pray that we can bring Jeremiah home'.
After undergoing foster training and background screening, Jordan and her husband, Cole, invited Jeremiah to come live with them. Jeremiah was delighted, and moved in with the Dickersons in June 2017. Over a year later, the paperwork finally came through, making the adoption official. On July 16, 2018, Jordan celebrated with an emotional post on Facebook:
"The day we've been waiting over a year for!! The court system finally caught up to what we already knew to be true...Jeremiah Evans Dickerson is officially ours! We have dreamed, waited, and prayed for this day for such a long time. It was even better than I ever dreamed it would be.
I'm so thankful for our family, friends, and phenomenal support system throughout this entire journey. You all are irreplaceable in our book! Today we celebrate life and so much love for you, sweet boy!"
However, this day proved to be even more special than Jeremiah expected. On the same day he found out he was adopted, he found out about he was about to become a big brother: Jordan was pregnant with her first biological child - a girl. Some only children get jealous when they find out a sibling's on the way, but this adorable little boy was thrilled. A good day got even better.
Jordan used her camera to capture the special moment. And it wasn't the first time. Back when Jeremiah no longer needed medical assistance, she took a photo of him in the hospital, holding a sign: "Party's on now that trach's gone!" On July 16, 2018, they did something similar. After finalizing the adoption in the courthouse, the family sat down on the steps outside. Jeremiah held up an ultrasound, and proudly posed with another sign: "Today I became a Dickerson. Up next... big brother."
On Facebook, Jordan wrote about her serendipitous day, including a curious premonition Jeremiah had four months ago.
"Jeremiah prayed to God in April thanking Him for his baby sister... we thought he was crazy at the time. Here we are, 4 months later finding out since then not only that I was pregnant but now that he's also getting his baby sister he prayer for! We are all so thrilled!! ... In the end, Jeremiah has blessed our family more than we could ever imagined."
Congratulations to the Dickerson family!
