Tasha Eaton has always wanted to heal hearts.
When she heard about the need for foster parents in her community years ago, she knew she had found a way to do that. What started as a foster journey quickly became an adoption journey. Tasha’s foster children needed forever families, and she couldn’t bear to let them go. In the course of her journey, Tasha has adopted seven children.
But once the papers were signed, it was not smooth sailing. A few years ago, Tasha and the children in her home experienced a traumatic incident with her adopted teenager and their everyday lives were disrupted, leaving Tasha feeling lost and overwhelmed. That’s when Tasha found her way back to DePaul.
DePaul had been part of two of Tasha’s adoptions, so she was familiar with the organization. When she came back to DePaul, Tasha’s home was in crisis. She was in the darkest place of her adoption journey.
“It was a really hard time in our house. I got really depressed, and couldn’t stop blaming myself,” said Tasha.
She needed a little light. She needed to feel less alone.
“DePaul stuck with me. They stayed with me the whole time,” said Tasha.
Through the Community-Based Services program, DePaul provided opportunities for Tasha’s family to meet other families with similar trauma histories and engage in activities geared toward forming relationships, boundaries, and support systems.
“Trauma doesn’t just go away because somebody loves you. I wish it did,” said Tasha.
From support groups to counseling to phone calls, Tasha’s family was and still is active in the Community-Based Services program at DePaul. One of Tasha’s adopted children still lives at home, while the others have grown up and moved out. But the family still stays close. Tasha now has grandkids to love and spoil. She also just got remarried, and her and her husband have reopened their home to a 5-year-old boy in foster care. The darkness is getting lighter every day.
“I am on a mission to help heal, not only me and my family, but the people who surround our family and love us,” said Tasha.
Every day, Tasha and her family fight for healing and peace. It is not an easy fight. But because of DePaul, Tasha and her family do not have to fight alone.