Lowcountry resident Qwan Butler, 46, grew up in a large extended family and knew from an early age that she wanted children. In 2020, after moving to a larger home, she applied to become a foster parent with Epworth.
Soon after the first foster child placed in Qwan’s home was reunited with her birth family, Epworth placed a playful and affectionate 5-year-old named Brianna with her. Qwan fell in love with Brianna almost from the start.
“She fit right in,” she said. “She seemed instantly comfortable, which was unique.”
Qwan loved spending time with Brianna, playing with dolls, painting, and playing outside. When Qwan’s relatives met Brianna for the first time, they all remarked how much Brianna looked like Qwan had as a child. As soon as she learned that Brianna had become avail able for adoption, Qwan started the pre-adoption process. To be approved, applicants must submit a great deal of paperwork, pass background clearances, and sit for in-person interviews. While Qwan was taking the steps needed to qualify, Brianna was sent to a foster family who had already been approved for pre-adoption.
Qwan missed Brianna intensely. She prayed daily, asking God to take care of Brianna and send her the child she was meant to have.
Three months to the day after Brianna left, Qwan received the answer she was looking for. The adoptive family had determined that Brianna was not a good fit for them. Qwan rejoiced when the little girl was returned to her. She reactivated her application to adopt and was approved. A court procedure made everything final.
For the next year, Qwan took a break from fostering to give Brianna her entire attention and time. Her mom, Gail, who lives with Qwan, cared for Brianna while Qwan worked each day.
Three years later, Qwan started taking in respite (short-term) foster placements and was asked to care for a 3-month-old infant. The baby, it turns out, was Brianna’s biological sister. Her name is Ariella.
By then 8 years old, Brianna loved holding and bottle feeding the baby. Qwan did not tell Brianna right away that the infant was her sister, because she didn’t want to cause her distress when Ariella was returned to her birth family. She took lots of photos, knowing that the baby might not be with them for long.
“Brianna was such a good big sister from the start,” Qwan said. “She was very protective, coming into my room at night to make sure I was awake whenever the baby started to cry.”
Within months, Qwan learned that Ariella, too, had been freed for adoption. She applied immediately. On court day, Qwan was so anxious that Charleston traffic might cause her to be late, she left her home hours early. But Qwan’s court procedure went smoothly and her application to adopt Ariella was approved.
Today, as the forever mom to two beautiful little girls, Qwan says her home life is lively, fun, and full of gratitude and love.
“There were some bumps along the way, mostly to do with navigating the foster care and adoption system, but I would tell anyone interested in fostering or adopting that the rewards greatly outweigh any difficulties,” Qwan said.
She said Epworth did a wonderful job advocating for her and the children and helping her resolve any issues that came up.
“I always knew they were in my corner,” she said.
