While none of us can recall the events of our first birthday celebrations, Abraham Walker does. He might even remark that was one of his greatest days ever.
Abraham was adopted by Jamie Walker and Joe Walker in October 2021. He is originally from the West African nation of Sierra Leone. His family decided to throw him a birthday celebration because he’s never had one.
A special cake for Abraham’s first birthday since they adopted him and brought him to America was carried by Jamie Walker on May 19 as she left the house.
The family can be seen gathered in the kitchen as they begin singing Happy Birthday to Abraham in a video Jamie posted on Facebook.
Abraham is seen when the camera pans to him, who is visibly amazed as he sees the very first birthday cake he’s ever had. He sobbed while covering his mouth with his hands while his sisters captured the moment on their phones.
“We never knew about something called a birthday,” he said. “It just feels like God is showing all the blessings in you. Everybody in the whole world is giving you their best love that they have ever given. That is what it feels like to have that cake.”
The sixth-grader abruptly sprang up and went up to his father, hugging him as Jamie laid the cake down. Everyone urged him to make a wish, but the celebrant couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Before ultimately blowing out the candles, he also gave Jamie a lengthy embrace while still sobbing joyful tears over the kind gift.
“What a gift He is,” Jamie wrote on Facebook. “What a gift this moment was. Incredibly simple yet wholly significant. As it unfolded it dawned on me that Abraham would have no idea what ‘make a wish’ meant so we let him have a redo.”
The sixth-grader abruptly sprang up and went up to his father, hugging him as Jamie laid the cake down. Everyone urged him to make a wish, but the celebrant couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Before ultimately blowing out the candles, he also gave Jamie a lengthy embrace while still sobbing joyful tears over the kind gift.
“It was their 10-year anniversary. And I wanted to go play with the kids. I wanted to see what was all about,” Joe said.
The now-father-of-six read books and played soccer with the neighborhood kids while he was there. That’s where he first met James, with whom he quickly became quite close.
James was soon sponsored by the couple, who kept in touch with him once a month through Skype. James was unfortunately forced to leave the orphanage six months later.
Joe bought him a phone so that they could stay in contact. When James went back to his town, they were able to meet Abraham.
The Walkers FaceTimed the brothers every day for a month.
We assembled a squad because, according to Joe, “we knew that if they didn’t return to the orphanage they were going to be thrown back on the streets.”
Joe was able to reunite the boys and have them returned to the Raining Season Orphanage thanks to the efforts of their team. Then he boarded a flight for Sierra Leone where he met Abraham and James.
“And by then we had formed this really special connected bond,” Joe said. “And I came home from that trip and said to my wife, ‘I just feel like there’s more being asked of us.’”
Jamie and Joe had a family dinner with their four children and spoke about adopting Abraham and James. They questioned the brothers about joining their family, and they immediately received a resounding yes from their kids.
“And we told them that they weren’t allowed to answer us that day,” Joe explained. “We asked him to think of all of the positive things and then to think of the things that would be really challenging and hard… They were really excited and they wanted to be a part of the family and know what a family was.”
The Walkers’ vacation plans throughout the adoption procedure were postponed by the epidemic. But Joe immediately boarded a plane to visit the boys as soon as the limitations were released.
“I got back over there and was visiting with them and that’s when we got the notice from USCIS that it was time to actually go back and pick them up,” he said.
When asked what he likes most about America, Abraham said, “everything.”
“It’s really, really fun,” he said. “And getting used to the weather, the food and some of this stuff. It’s kind of a new experience for me. And it’s also nice.”
The couple also loves seeing the brothers enjoy their “firsts,” including haircuts, school, and even their first car wash.
“It’s absolutely magical and amazing because you think about the first time you take a toddler through, and they’re like in awe. And some kids hate it. It’s the same, only they’re old enough to verbalize how crazy this experience is,” Jamie told WJZY.
“I adore them more than they could ever know or imagine. They are the ones that introduced me to the outside world, taught me the meanings of love, happiness, and having a supportive family. He said, “I really, truly want to thank them for that.
The siblings’ birth certificates may have shown them as a bit older than they actually are, according to the Walkers, who claimed that Abraham is in sixth grade and James is in ninth school. They also said that documentation isn’t taken very seriously in Sierra Leone.
