Education

We Got More Love Than We Bargained For

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Ashley and Eric Felton wanted to be parents. What stood between them and that goal was four rounds of IUI, a complication that ended fertility treatment permanently, and a hysterectomy the day after Christmas. In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope sits down with Ashley and Eric just 32 days after bringing home their son Colton to talk about the grief, the financial realities, and what changed their minds about open adoption. The $80,000 Reality Ashley and Eric thought adoption would cost $40,000. By the time Colton arrived, the total had climbed to $80,000. They sold a Mustang, refinanced their home twice, took out a HELOC, and worked grants and employer benefits to close the gap. Eric walks through every dollar and every decision with the kind of detail that will help any family build their own financial plan for adoption. A Village They Didn't Expect They started the process wanting a closed adoption. Education changed everything. Ashley describes what it felt like to fall in love with Colton's birth parents and why more people surrounding a child is never a complication. Every family considering adoption will find something in this conversation worth holding onto. Subscribe to Voices of Adoption wherever you listen to podcasts and visit VoicesofAdoption.org for stories, resources, and community from every corner of the adoption constellation. No matter where you are in your journey, you'll find people who understand. Follow or Subscribe to Voices of Adoption wherever you listen: Website: http://www.VoicesOfAdoption.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@voicesofadoptionshow Twitter/X: https://x.com/voices_adoption Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voicesof_adoption/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577208399818 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@voices_of_adoption LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/voices-of-adoption/ Follow Nathan Gwilliam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam Follow Donna Pope: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-pope-41652ba Follow Ashley and Eric Felton: Hearts Connect: https://www.hearttoheartadoptions.com

The $80,000 Reality

Ashley and Eric thought adoption would cost $40,000. By the time Colton arrived, the total had climbed to $80,000. They sold a Mustang, refinanced their home twice, took out a HELOC, and worked grants and employer benefits to close the gap. Eric walks through every dollar and every decision with the kind of detail that will help any family build their own financial plan for adoption.

A Village They Didn't Expect

They started the process wanting a closed adoption. Education changed everything. Ashley describes what it felt like to fall in love with Colton's birth parents and why more people surrounding a child is never a complication.

Every family considering adoption will find something in this conversation worth holding onto. Subscribe to Voices of Adoption wherever you listen to podcasts and visit VoicesofAdoption.org for stories, resources, and community from every corner of the adoption constellation. No matter where you are in your journey, you'll find people who understand.

Follow or Subscribe to Voices of Adoption wherever you listen: