MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A 4-year-old boy shared beautiful news right after being adopted – he’s going to be a big brother.
Jordan Dickerson, a pediatric nurse at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, says Jeremiah was one of her patients last year. Jeremiah was born prematurely and he had a lot of complex medical needs. Because of that, he could only be placed in foster homes that had gone through specific medical training.
“I quickly fell in love with his contagious smile and joyful spirit,” Jordan told WJW. “My husband and I hadn’t even been married a year at this point so we really hadn’t even discussed any future children yet.”
Shortly after that, she and her husband, Cole, started doing the research needed to begin foster parenting classes.
Then, in June of 2017, the Dickerson family was approved and brought their son home.
“The past year since he’s been home has been hard with countless nights awake with unexpected sickness, last minute trips to the ER, time off of work for surgeries, and so much more.” Jordan said she is so happy to report that Jeremiah is now healthier than ever. This past spring, he had a feeding tube in his belly removed; he also had his tracheostomy tube removed that was helping him breathe.
Then in April, Jordan said Jeremiah asked to say the prayer during dinner one night. She said it went something like this: “Dear God, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for my mommy and daddy. And thank you for my baby sister in a couple of weeks. Amen.”
Jordan said she and her husband were not planning on any siblings for Jeremiah at that time.
Two weeks later, Jordan said she and her husband found out she was pregnant, and Jeremiah was right about his baby sister — they are having a girl!
In July, when the adoption became official, the family posed for photos at the courthouse. In one of the pictures, Jeremiah has a sign: “Today I became a Dickerson. Up next… big brother.”
Photos provided by Dani Brewer Photography
