Hannah Martin, a 32-year-old from Waymart, Pennsylvania, shared the emotional story of her decision to adopt both of her children, describing it as a deeply painful yet necessary choice. She reflected on the experience as “traumatic” and “heartbreaking,” but also “heartwarming” because it allowed her to give her children a chance at a better life, according to Mirror.

Now a stay-at-home mom to a 15-year-old son, an 8-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son, Martin shared how in 2011, at just 19 years old, she had to put her daughter Adriana up for adoption due to financial problems. Discovering her pregnancy had initially left her “excited but scared”, as she had become pregnant after a chance encounter with her brother’s friend. Despite being on birth control, she became pregnant, and the child’s father denied responsibility and refused to provide support.

After trying to care for Adriana for about six weeks, Martin realized she couldn’t do it alone. “I couldn’t do it,” she admitted to The Mirror. “The father refused to help me. He said it was not his child.” Feeling overwhelmed, she looked for someone to adopt Adriana and connected with Maria, a lawyer from Miami, who became a source of tremendous support. “Maria was like another mother to me,” Martin shared. “She helped me through everything – therapy and reassurance that I was doing the right thing.”

Facing a similar situation with her son Tyler, Martin again turned to Maria, who helped her find him a loving home. However, these decisions have continued to weigh heavily on her. She revealed that she has not had contact with any of the children since the adoption and is not sure if they even know her.

Reflecting on the experience, Martin acknowledged the toll it took on her mental health, saying: “It was very difficult. I went through a bad time because I have depression. If I could change things I would have kept them, but I was young , struggling and not knowing how to access the resources that could have helped us.”