SAN DIEGO — Heaven turned 13 years old this month, and her only wish for her birthday is to find a forever family.
"I would love to spend time with someone that would actually care for me, if someone was out there," Heaven told me.
The teen’s name means " home of the gods", but what she's searching for right now, is a home here on earth. Heaven told me, "I've always been thinking and praying for the best miracle to come for me, for me to go somewhere."
She's praying it's somewhere permanent, where she won't have to move from again and again, after spending nearly her whole life, in and out of foster care. "I've been in it for 12 years," she reflected, adding "I don't want it to be 13, so I'm trying to get out."
This basketball-loving teen is hoping that being featured in this Adopt 8 story, will help her score a forever family. She's hoping to find a family or a single mom, so she can do the types of things most kids take for granted. She's looking forward to watching Netflix and eating popcorn on the couch. Heaven says she just wants "a nice family, a good home, and a roof over my head." Though it's not easy to open up and put herself out there, Heaven believes it's worth a shot.
"I'm just taking more chances so I can have a good life, instead of staying in the system for so long," she said.
When I asked Heaven what kind of daughter she would be, she replied, "I would be a caring, clean child. I love cleaning my room, I love to be organized. I'm quiet sometimes, and sometimes I'm really silly. I like to do a lot of adventures."
Heaven also enjoys creating art. She says it's a nice escape when she can focus on things she actually likes to do. She's also a budding photographer, capturing moments in time and reflecting on their beauty. She explained to me, "It's a one in a lifetime photo. Say if something goes extinct, like the sunsets are really pretty, you don't always get to see those pretty colors."
Heaven holds on to the pieces of her past, which include her name, which her birth mother gave to her. She said, "It's the only way I can think of my mom, is with my name... knowing that she named me a pretty name." When it comes to her future, she hopes it includes a forever family that's heaven sent. She told me, "I want someone to be there for me when I need them. I’m just looking for a nice home. "
If you are interested in adopting or becoming a foster family, please call 1-877-792-KIDS (5437) or visit the San Diego County Adoptions' home page.