La Tonya Ruff, an African American lady from St. Louis, was finally able to reunite a family of five siblings after seven years of trying to adopt or become their legal guardian.
Ruff’s relationship with the children began in 2012, when she babysat them. She even founded a daycare after discovering her passion for caring for youngsters. Unfortunately, she was unaware that the children had been placed in foster care.
Tiana Trevione and Ashton, the elder children, were featured on a television show, prompting them to look for a more permanent home. She took immediate action after learning about it.
“It took me seven years to get this family back together, getting them back one by one,” Ruff was quoted as saying by KSDK.
Ruff adopted the younger siblings, Dayton and Ky’La, and was present at their births. Meanwhile, the older children elected to maintain their parents’ names on official documents to honor their father, who had died.
In 2022, Ruff was granted guardianship of Tiana. She just acquired guardianship of the two elder sons, Ashton and Trevione, which marked the end of years of efforts to reunite these siblings.
The court verdict ensures that the siblings can grow up under the same house.
“I gave them their forever home, and I wouldn’t have it anything other way,” Ruff was quoted as saying. “It’s not an easy work, as I expected, but the cause makes it all worthwhile. “We’re family.”