Sarasota Co. court has super hero-themed adoption

SARASOTA (FOX 13) - There was a special adoption for a boy from Sarasota County and his new dad. The courtroom was decked out with super hero-themed decorations for the occasion, complete with a real-life Spider Man.

11-year-old Drake was in and out of foster care for four and a half years and now he has a forever family.

“Drake is ASD, autism spectrum disorder, and I’m a special ed. teacher, and I tend to gravitate toward children with disabilities,” Scott Ryan said. “The adoption finalization happened and so I’m legally Drake's father.”

Drake went to live with Terry full time, earlier this year, to make sure it was a match. Terry said he contacted his case manager and asked if there had ever been a themed adoption, because he knew it would make Drake so happy.

The case manager said he’d have to ask the judge, but she was all for it.

“The moment I met him, I knew. Once I met Drake, there was nothing that was going to stand in the way,” Scott Ryan said. “We’re going have a life together and I’m going to help him become the man he was meant to be, and he is going to be there with me along the way.”

Scott and Drake said they wanted to share their story to encourage other families to choose adoption.