"I immediately became pregnant in my mid-30s, and I miscarried, and I became pregnant again, and I miscarried again, and it was very devastating," Okorafor said.
Early last year, Okorafor, 39, decided to adopt a child. She was surprised it to learn that could cost up to $40,000.
"For me, I knew I had saved up and I had done everything I could to counter most of those costs. But honestly, once I realized that I had enough to cover the actual adoption, I completely neglected to think about the last minute costs," Okorafor said.
That's where a national non-profit organization called Gift of Adoption helps out.
"Adoptions are an expensive undertaking. People don't have the funds to do that. The Gift of Adoption raises the money to help complete the adoptions so that children can go home to a family," Joseph Roddy, former board member, Gift of Adoption, said.
Joe and Karen Roddy adopted their two youngest children and are dedicated to helping other do the same. They are leaders in the organization.
"We place a large priority on keeping biological siblings together, funding adoptions of children who have special needs or medical conditions that need to be addressed imminently or we also we put a priority on funding children who would be aging out of foster care or out of an orphanage," Karen Callahan Roddy said. She's a national board member on Gift of Adoption.
The average grant is about $3,500. Okorafor used her grant to pay for travel expenses. Her son Chinedu was born in Nevada on Christmas Eve.
"If it weren't for Gift of Adoption, I really would've had a challenge upon me," Okorafor said.
The gift of adoption gives grants up to $7,500. They support both domestic and international adoptions. Learn more about the program at giftofadoption.org
