Luke's Story

Anyone who has tried to rescue a wild animal knows you had better be wearing a good pair of gloves. That image would have resonated with officers responding to a 911 call at the home of a young mother who had been stabbed by her boyfriend. As the officers rushed her four young sons to safety, the oldest boy howled and clawed in a blind fury.

The boy was Luke, age eight. “Luke saw any adult as a threat,” says Helen Samples, a veteran social worker in our foster care program. “It didn’t matter that they were trying to help.” Luke’s fear of adults further complicated Helen’s efforts to find a foster home for him. Few families have room for four siblings, and none wanted a child behaving like a cornered badger. Reluctantly, Helen had to separate Luke from his brothers.

“This was a youngster who had witnessed real brutality. He needed therapy,” she says. So, Helen placed him in the Kentwood home of a professional therapist and foster mom named Meg. “Meg had years of experience working with troubled kids,” Helen recalls. “If anyone could help Luke, it would be Meg.”

In the months that followed, Luke’s behavior seemed to stabilize—that is, until the day Helen had to break the news that a judge had terminated his parents’ rights. Luke wouldn’t be going home. “He flew at me in a rage, kicking me hard. When Meg tried to intervene, he nearly broke her nose. I know it seems strange, but for abused kids, birth parents are the devil they know. Luke was completely undone.”

As Meg headed to the emergency room, Helen drove a brooding Luke to KidsFirst, our children’s shelter at St. John’s Home. The two big houses are a refuge for Kent County kids who are running out of options—which pretty much described Luke. “If his mistrust of adults turned into general aggression,” Helen said, “Luke could spend his adolescence in juvenile detention. The clock was running out for Luke. I wasn’t sure what was next for him, but a respite at KidsFirst would give me some time to figure it out.”

As it turned out, a night at KidsFirst gave Luke some time to figure things out, too. A counselor named Larry took care of Luke that afternoon. “Luke was sure he was in big trouble, but I told him we just wanted him to be safe. We hung out together in the playroom, worked on a puzzle and played some foosball. Bit by bit, he told me what

happened. He knew he’d hurt Meg and Helen and seemed worried he’d never see them again. As I tucked him into bed that night, I was surprised when he asked me if he could go back to Meg’s house. When an abused child reaches out to an adult, that’s a breakthrough,” Larry says. So, as Luke slept, Larry phoned Helen; Helen phoned Meg. “Okay,” Meg said. “Bring Luke home.”

Meg’s singular act of forgiveness caught Luke off guard. “No adult had ever turned the other cheek before,” Helen says. Cumulative acts of kindness—by Helen, by Larry and by Meg—gradually tipped the scales for Luke. He was beginning to believe some adults could be trusted after all!

Luke spent the next two years under Meg’s firm, but loving guidance. He began playing soccer and joined a Little League team. It seemed to Helen that Luke’s tortured soul was somehow pacified—so much so she arranged for Luke to begin visiting his brothers. The three younger boys had been adopted by a Walker couple named Brian and Ann. The family agreed to regular visits, but made it clear from the outset that adopting another child was out of the question.

Brian, Ann and Meg took turns driving Luke between Kentwood and Walker all last year. Then in February, Brian had to drive Luke home through a blinding snowstorm. As they crept along, Luke sensed Brian was tired and feeling a bit put out. Luke turned to him and said very casually, “You know Brian, it would be a lot easier if you’d just adopt me.” I can only imagine the conversations which took place before Brian phoned Helen. He told her there was room in their family for one more boy.

In a Kent County Family court room last June, Brian, Ann, their three sons, plus Meg and Helen stood with Luke as a judge made his adoption final. Luke leaned close to Helen and whispered, “Look, Helen, all these people here for me!”

At age 12, Luke has grown into a young man who knows exactly who his people are.