Support Kyle and Sara's Adoption Journey

My name is Shelly Deiro and I'm starting this GoFundMe on behalf of Kyle and Sara Mohagen.

I've had the privilege of getting to know them for the last few years and their steadfastness through fostering, cancer, and many more ups and downs, and my heart was moved to set up a way for many to hear their story. I pray this will help remove the financial burden of adoption so that they will be able to fulfill their longing for a family.

Here is their story...

We are Kyle and Sara from Truckee, California. We live with our little dog, Taco, in a

cozy cabin near beautiful Lake Tahoe. We met at a crazy Christmas sweater party 15

years ago and it was love at first sight. Our lives are filled with adventures, hugs, and

good books. Family is what fills our hearts with joy. Most of all, we have always wanted

to have a home bustling with children, laughter, and love. Adoption gives us the gift of

having a family of our own.

Due to infertility, we have been unable to have children biologically. Sara was

diagnosed with cancer ten years ago and because of the treatments she went through

she can no longer carry a child. After Sara was deemed cancer-free for several years,

we pursued foster care. We loved being foster parents (and still plan on fostering in the

future), but after our foster kiddos were reunited with their families, we knew we wanted to

adopt. We have been married for 13 years and have always dreamed of having

children. We are now so excited to be in the adoption process and feel that God has

led us here! We hope to adopt at least two children.

We have completed our home study, and our online adoption profile is being presented

to potential birth mothers. As you know, this is an expensive process and our projected

fees are between $55,000 and $65,000 per child. We have taken out a small adoption

loan, are applying for as many adoption grants as we can, and are fundraising for

additional support. One of the reasons we are asking for assistance is because the

medical expenses associated with Sara’s cancer treatment used up our savings and

were very expensive. Though we budget our income carefully we will still need as much

financial assistance as possible to make this adoption feasible. We agree that financial

barriers associated with adoption should not prevent a child from being part of a loving

and stable home. Adoption is a beautiful way to have a family.

Kyle is an elementary school assistant principal. He loves his students and is famous

for wearing a different pair of crazy socks to school each day. Kids love to guess the

socks or to match their socks with his. Sara is a wildlife artist. She finds inspiration in

all the wildlife near our home and paints or draws the animals she sees. She can be

found in our at-home art studio painting with a cup of coffee and Taco curled up by her

side. Kyle's job as an elementary school assistant principal and Sara's past work as a

pediatric physical therapist make us specially qualified to be able to care for, love, and

support a child in every way.

Even though we’ve faced significant challenges in our lives, our relationship is stronger

for it. We have such a happy marriage! We are each other’s best friends and soulmates.

We send each other texts during the day and curl up on the couch together with our pup,

Taco, in the evening. We feel like this is the perfect time to add babies to our

family!

We are so grateful to our friends, family, and everyone who is supporting us. Thank you

for your generosity, your willingness to assist us financially, and for partnering with us to

give these children a loving family. We will be relying on fundraising to help us make

this dream a reality.

We have always wanted to be parents and are so thankful that adoption is an avenue

available for us to pursue. It is a true gift for us! We are committed to providing a child

with a life filled with love, hugs, adventure, opportunities, and laughter.

Our goal is to adopt TWO babies! Our current estimated costs are $130,000. We hope

to raise $100,000, which is a big ask, but we know that God can do it!

If you would like to help us bring these babies home you can do any or all of these three

things:

1. Pray - Help us pray that this process goes as smoothly as possible and

according to God’s will. We want what God wants.

2. Donate - A donation of any amount will be such a blessing to us. We could never

thank you enough. We want to be able to give a baby a home debt-free. (Please

see our estimated costs provided by our agency below.)

3. Share - We need help getting the word out to others who want to give to adoption

or who may say a prayer for us. You can share our GoFundMe on your social

media accounts or with specific people who may want to be involved.

We have chosen to pursue domestic infant adoption. Adopting a newborn includes

many uncertainties, from whether a match will go through or fall through, to what the

actual costs will be. The costs can vary depending on the state and agency. The fees

include lawyer fees, fees to match birth mothers to adoptive parents, support for the

birth mother, lost income, and travel expenses, which can include several weeks out-of-

state with housing and food while the adoption is being processed. Unforeseen needs

often arise. In addition, once matched, the birth mother has 48 hours to change her

mind after giving birth. If that happens (and it sometimes does), the birth mother fees

are lost and you have to match again with a new birth mother.

Adoptive parents are chosen by the birth mother. This process could potentially happen

very quickly! It can also take up to two years. The full amount for Phase 1 and Phase 2

is due at the time we are matched. We have to be prepared to match at a moment’s

notice!

Phase 1: $26,200

$2,600 – Home study and application

$1,600 – Adoption profile

$22,000 – Matching with birth mother as well as supporting birth mother expenses

Phase 2: $15,500

$3,500 – Attorney fee and adoption plan

$5,000 – Case management services

$7,000 – Birth mother expenses

Phase 3: $21,500

$4,500 – Adoption finalization legal services

$2,500 – Ongoing support

$5,000 – Third party costs

$2,000 – Termination of birth father rights

$7,500 – Travel costs

Additional costs: Agency post-adoption interviews and home checks $2,500

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for reading and sharing our story and for donating to help grow our family and support this beautiful gift of adoption. We pray that God richly blesses you, for being a blessing to us and our future children.

Follow along and we will be posting updates through this process!

With Gratitude,

Kyle, Sara, and Taco

Venmo: @kyle-mohagen