A Grandmother Found a Blessing Through Foster Care

If you need inspiration in becoming a foster parent, look no further than Sandy Debrick.

May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month, and we are highlighting Sandy as one of the special people who open their hearts and homes to youth who need a caring adult in their lives. Sandy’s foster parent story began in September 2025 when she received a phone call that her two grandsons were placed in care. She was asked if she was willing to take them.

“My last child had just graduated from high school,” Sandy said. “I thought ‘there goes my retirement.’ It looks like I’m going on a different type of cruise.”

Sandy took in Ben and Alex, three and five years old. Sandy changed jobs from the clinical lab where she was working 12-hour days to teaching special education at the Missouri School for the Severely Disabled. The longer they were in Sandy’s care, the more she became aware that their situation required specialized care. One of the boys had a physical disability and other challenges were becoming apparent.

Those challenges led Sandy to begin foster parent training and became licensed in Treatment Foster Care (TFC), the highest form of foster care that requires additional support and special training to help youth with higher behavioral challenges.

“Sandy was so good at collaborating with multiple providers,” said Heidi Adams, Cornerstones of Care’s TFC Specialist. “Her openness to learning and adapting to her grandsons’ needs made all the difference.”

On March 4, Sandy adopted Ben and Alex to ensure they had a caring adult in their life, but her care didn’t end there. Sandy is now a foster parent to a 13-year-old with Down’s Syndrome and her 16-year-old sister. Sandy is also preparing to take placement of a nine-year-old girl with Spina Bifida.

Sandy’s advice for families interested in fostering but too nervous to move forward in the process is to take the next step. After all, she’s accomplished a lot as a 63-year-old single grandmother.

“Being nervous about becoming a foster parent is normal, but if your heart is in the right place you’ll find the rewards far outweigh the challenges,” Sandy said. “My boys are the blessings I didn’t know I needed.”