x
Breaking News
More () »

Taneah thankful for memories, but hopeful for forever family

Taneah is 12-years-old. She's spent most of her life in foster care. While this time of year doesn't make things easier, she's hopeful that she'll find a forever family for the holidays.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Chances are, you've finished up your Thanksgiving feast and have spent the day with family, the people you love the most.

But there are hundreds of Arkansas children who have no family, they are waiting to be adopted.

THV11 is partnered with the Arkansas Department of Human Services to find permanent placement for these children. This Thanksgiving, we share Taneah's desperate hope for a place to call home.

"I'm gonna spray your skin ok, isn't that nice?" asked Ava Bella Day Spa owner DeeDee Helbig.

From the sprays and the fragrant smells to the massage and the laughter, all this pampering had 12-year old Taneah feeling like quite the princess. Taneah has quite the personality. She is a girly-girl, but there's a tough side, too.

"I wanna be a police officer," Taneah said.

Yes, a police officer. To protect, she told us. It might be because she has seen the injustice. Right now, this Thanksgiving night, she laid her head down to sleep in a facility.

"You stay there for a while until someone's ready to get you," Taneah said.

But the biggest worry at the spa is what color for her manicure and pedicure. Still, she never stopped thinking about getting adopted.

“At night when I go to sleep when I say my nighttime prayers and in the morning," Taneah said. "Someone who's gonna take care of you and someone who's gonna love you." “Is that a heart on my face?” Taneah asked Helbig. “I'm just doing it with my fingers but yep," Helbig said, of the heart-shaped facial massage she gave Taneah, a girl who’s been in foster care since age five. She does have memories of holidays past.

"My granny would cook dressing, turkey, ham, pumpkin pie, pecan pie," Taneah said.

And she knows what it all means.

"Thanksgiving means to be thankful and celebrate with your family, and Thanksgiving means giving thanks for your loved ones," Taneah shared. But that's the problem. Her loved ones have all failed her. So, this Thanksgiving she spent it alone with the hope of future holidays with a family of her own. This 12-year-old princess for a day has one royal wish.

"Would you take me today or tomorrow and whenever?" she asked. Special thanks to DeeDee Helbig, who owns Ava Bella Day Spa for pampering Taneah.

If you'd like to know more about her, or any child we've featured in this segment, click here for the heart gallery, which is run by the non-profit Project Zero. There are no costs associated with adopting a state foster child.

Before You Leave, Check This Out