After raising 6 children of her own, Betty Mills adopted Sammy at the age of 6. Betty knew she was getting old to raise another child, but she was Sammy's only chance for a stable home. Sammy has disabilities and had suffered greatly from the instability of multiple foster homes. Sammy and Betty took to each other, and Betty promised to love her and care for her for as long as she could. They live in Wicomico county.

 

Many years later, Sammy has thrived and has multiple abilities - she excels at vocational job training, loves animals and horseback riding, and has a personality "bigger than life" says Betty - but her intellectual disabilities prevent her from from being able to live or work on her own without supports.

 

Now 78 years old, Betty worries about how long she can keep going. She wants to transition Sammy to residential care when she turns 21 and graduates this year. She would like to help her daughter adjust to supported living. But she has been told there is too long a waiting list and not enough funding. Tragically, says Betty, "I was told, if I get sick or die, Sammy will have to go back into emergency foster care."