Spotlight on PWS: Growing Family Through Adoption

contributed by Trevor Dykes, Dad to Emerson and Ellis (4 & 1, living with PWS)

My husband, Jamie, and I had always planned to build our family through adoption. We kicked off the process in early 2022. After receiving our home study approval in June 2022, we settled in for what we expected to be a long wait.

Just over three months later in September, we received an email on a Monday evening about a five-week-old baby girl and learned of her diagnosis, which was completely new to us: Prader-Willi syndrome.

Our social worker from our adoption agency called us before 9am the next morning asking if we’d read the email. It’s hard to explain, but it felt like something cosmically clicked into place.

We learned of the baby’s status and our social worker explained that the genetic change is on chromosome 15, which was very foreign to us. She advised us that this condition sits on a spectrum, and reminded us that Google will likely show worst-case scenarios. The crux of her message: Educate yourselves, but don’t spiral.

We were given about 3 hours to decide on whether we’d like to be considered to parent the baby. She encouraged us to hang up, breathe, and talk it over. What she didn’t know was that we were both an immediate “yes” before she even finished the sentence. We waited an hour to call her back so it looked like we’d done our due diligence.

That evening at 6 p.m., the phone buzzed again. It was the phone call that changed our lives forever… We were parents.

Our Emerson, now 4 years old, is smart, stubborn, and silly. She loves dancing, taking walks, “Bluey,” and her Little People toys. Her laugh is contagious, and her hugs will make you melt. We could never have imagined how extraordinary she’d be…. Is.

We’ve been introduced to a new world and have navigated a lot with her. The appointments, the therapies, the early intervention plans, the navigation of insurances, the continuous learning curve — it’s a lot. But here’s what surprises most people when we describe it: The wins feel bigger. Every milestone, every smile, every new skill hits differently when you’ve watched your kiddo work so hard for them. It’s insane how fast the time has gone by. She’s come so far.

When people ask us why we’d do it again, knowing everything we know and understanding that so much remains unknown, the answer is pretty simple: because we’d seen what’s possible when you say yes.

In February 2026, we were placed with our son, Ellis, also through adoption. He also has PWS. This wasn’t intentional; we weren’t seeking out another PWS placement. But when that email containing his profile pinged in our inbox, that cosmic feeling was back.

Allow me to introduce our family: I’m Trevor, and my husband is Jamie. We are the proud parents of Emerson and Ellis, both of whom are navigating life with PWS. Our lives have been enriched by these two wonderful kiddos and we are eternally grateful for the opportunity to be their parents.