Adoption is never the easy way out. If there’s one story that is proof of this, then it’s Hannah Mongie’s.
Her story of love and loss at such a young age, and her accompanying video, designed for her son, Tagg, are breaking hearts around the world. Together, they’re showcasing just how selfless the act of adoption really is.
At 18 years old, Hannah wasn’t ready to raise a child. But she was ready to open her heart to her son and to a family that desperately wanted a child.
In the final hours before passing her son over to his loving adopted family, Hannah made a video for her newborn.
‘This decision was made purely out of love for him’
In the video, which was shared on Love What Matters and has since gone viral, Hannah focuses the camera on her beautiful newborn son. As he moves around, sucking on her hand and a dummy, she shares her story, fighting back the tears.
She outlines the months leading up to the decision to put Tagg up for adoption, the moment she found Tagg’s rightful family and the message she wants him to always remember.
‘He will always be able to know that I loved him more than anyone else in this world’
As Hannah explains, Tagg’s daddy, Kaden, loved his son very much. From the moment the couple found out they were pregnant, they were over the moon. But, at only 18 and 20 years old, the couple both decided adoption was the best option.
“We were both young with little to no college or work experience, so we decided together to choose an adoption plan. We both felt an immense amount of peace about it, so we started to look at families,” she says.
However, just two days after Kaden first heard his son’s heartbeat, the dad-to-be died. It was sudden and unexpected. Although Kaden suffered from epilepsy, the autopsy came back inconclusive.
Losing Kaden and choosing adoption
A heartbroken and pregnant Hannah was left to make the decision of what to do on her own. And it was a decision she, at first, couldn’t make.
“From the day your daddy died I had a hard time even considering placing you with a different family when you were my last piece of Kaden,” Hannah explains through her tears.
But, as time went on, Hannah decided to go through with the adoption that both she and Kaden had agreed on. Hannah found Emily and Brad Marsh through adoption.com and started going on ‘dates’ with the couple.
“Over time, me and your mummy, Emily, became really good friends. And she is one of my best friends now.”
And, as Hannah tells us, Emily is the perfect person, along with Brad, to raise her son. As Hannah gave birth to Taggard Kaden Marsh, Emily and Brad remained by her side, preparing to welcome their new son with open arms.
‘He will never have to think that I ‘gave him up’ or that I did not love him’
As Hannah cries through her words, holding on to her newborn and preparing to say goodbye, it is clear that this isn’t an act of selfishness.
“Right now is the last hour of those two days before I send you off to Brad and Emily and then you’re going to be their little boy.
And I just want you to know that I really love you so much. More than I’ve ever loved any other human in the whole world.
I just wanted to let you know that I love you and I made this decision completely out of love and if I didn’t love you I wouldn’t be in the position at all and you wouldn’t have this awesome family.”
This isn’t an act of impulse or a decision made lightly.
It is a selfless act of love that proves just how much a mother loves her son. It is an incredibly heartbreaking decision that a grief-stricken teenager was forced to make. It is a situation that is hard enough to watch, let alone experience.
Nearly two years later…
It’s been nearly two years since Hannah gave birth to Tagg. Unlike many birth mothers, Hannah gets to see Tagg regularly.
Hannah, Emily and Brad arranged for an open adoption and, as Hannah explains, Brad and Emily have become more than just her friends. Together, they are family.
“My parents call all of Brad and Emily’s kids their grandkids,” Hannah explains. “We get them all Christmas and birthday gifts as if they are our kids. Everyone’s extended families have just taken each other in as their own. We are just family.”
Since Hannah posted the video, the world has wept along with the new mum as she says goodbye to Tagg.
Hannah hopes that her message helps others “gain a new perspective on what the Birth Mum goes through, when she places her child for adoption. It is the FURTHEST thing from a heartless act. It shows the definition of love. To love someone this much, is to give away your happiness for them.”
For more adoption stories, have a read of our previous article about the adoption didn’t stop this teen mum from caring for her baby.
