A single father who has taken in dozens of foster children over the years just adopted five siblings under the age of five so they could all stay together.
Lamont Thomas, from Buffalo, New York, became a father of 12 when he adopted Zendaya, 5, Jamel, 4, Nakia, 3, Major, 2, and Michaela, 1, on October 17.
The proud father is now a dad to 10 adopted children and two biological children, and has fostered more than 30 children since 2000.
You can watch the heartwarming moment he adopted the siblings below:
Thomas told Good Morning America he was ‘fighting to keep back the tears’ when the news became official and said his eyes ‘swell up’ every time he thinks about it. ‘All that we endured to make this happen, it was something,’ he added.
The single dad said he first started fostering to ‘help out some friends’ who had ‘lost their child to the system’. After getting certified to become a foster parent all those years ago, he has never looked back since.
His first adoptions were in 2007, when he took in twins Germayne and Tremayne and another child, Jamie. Shortly after that, he adopted a child called German. Then, after those initial adoptions, Thomas adopted the first child he ever fostered – Michael.
Michael, 27, told GMA Thomas ‘never turned [a child] away,’ adding: ‘He was my third foster home and it ended up being my forever home. He [knew] my biological parents’.
His five adopted children then joined Thomas’ biological son, Anthony, and daughter, LaMonica, with the family of eight having just grown even bigger with the adoption of Zendaya, Jamel, Nakia, Major, and Michaela.
Despite believing he had ‘retired’ from taking care of children, with some of his older children having moved out and started families of their own, Thomas leapt into action when he learned the five siblings needed a place to call home.
After getting re-certified, the father applied to foster with intent to adopt to prevent the siblings from getting split up again; they had been separated for approximately 18 months – in four different homes, in four different cities – due to neglect.
Thomas fostered the brothers and sisters for two years and eventually adopted them together earlier this month, describing them as ‘lovable kids’ who are ‘very affectionate’. The doting father added: ‘They deserve to be raised as siblings, and that was my fight’.
The dad-of-12 said he loves what he does, and is proud to be ‘making a difference by being a difference’.
What an incredible story, and an even more incredible man.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).