Evansville couple Natalie and Seth Lee establish foundation to help with adoption costs
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Natalie and Seth Lee had always looked forward to becoming parents. They married in 2016, and hoped children would be a part of their future.
Unfortunately, there was a physical hurdle the Evansville couple couldn't quite clear. Natalie Lee was experiencing unexplainable pain, and doctors eventually diagnosed her with endometriosis, a disorder that affects a woman's reproductive organs. One in every 10 American females will suffer from it, and 176 million more fight it worldwide.
"(The doctor) told me that my chances of having kids were very slim," Natalie said. "So if we wanted to try, we had to try soon."
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Doctors wanted them to make attempts at parenthood naturally before sending the couple to try In vitro fertilization and hormone shots.
In the end, nothing worked. Even though the Lees felt discouraged, even angry, it didn't stop their journey.
Their family decided to take a vacation and, one Sunday, while at church, the priest talked about adoption. The Lees realized how they would become parents.
"After 15 minutes of the priest talking about it, we just kind of looked at each other and knew we were going to do it," Natalie said.
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After careful consideration, they decided to do private adoption instead of fostering to adopt. But adoption is a long, complex process and the Lees didn't quite know where to start. It was all so overwhelming.
In 2019, they took the advice of a friend and reached out to an adoption consulting company in Florida. The company wasn't what they expected. On average, the cost of a private adoption is $40,000.
"Sometimes, agencies will require a huge sum of money up front," said Julie Wells, president of Greater Love Adoption Decision, Inc. "And that money can be put into advertising, (they) might use it to connect with other agencies or they're looking for women who are interested in adoption."
The Florida company promised to answer questions, keep them updated, and help them through the process. For $4,000, the company created a profile for the Lees, working to match them with a birth mother and take care of the legal matters before the baby was born. They kept track of a checklist of items that needed to be accounted for prior to the baby's birth.
It was a grueling process. Costs started to add up as the Lees traveled back and forth to Florida. There were hotel stays, or nights spent in Airbnb locations. They had to rent cars, pay for meals. The couple said they were surprised how quickly the money went out.
Part of the issue was a legal one. Because of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children law, adoptive parents such as the Lees have to stay in the state where the baby is born for more than two weeks before taking the child across state lines.
Then, once they returned to Indiana, more vists from the adoption company, checking to make sure they were providing a good home environment. The visits weren't cheal -- between $400 and $1,000 each. In Indiana, these visits have to happen until the adoption is finalized, which took a year.
Even with the trials that they face, they are the proud parents to their daughter Payton who was born in June 2019.
This whirlwind process has led them to start a foundation that will help parents with the costs and stress associated with adoption. The Lee Family Foundation was created to aid other couples more comfortably navigate the process. Through their work, they want to start a grant that families in the Tri-State can apply for.
"We could kind of adopt an adopting family and help coach them or talk to them if they need to talk ... or whatever they need (to get) through it," she said. "We want to help them through it."
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Local couple creates foundation to help with adoption costs
