With the exception of just a few months, the twins have been in the Tinney’s life since 2005. At that time, Michael and Curtis’ family members placed them in a nursing home in Odessa. That’s where the Tinney’s daughters, Bailie (age 16) and Amanda (age 13) who volunteered at the nursing home, first met Michael and Curtis. After meeting the twins and volunteering with them for the first time, they called their parents on the phone, saying “Mom! Dad! There are two little boys at the nursing home and they need us! And we need them!” After hearing this, Anita and Stan who lived in Midland, were compelled to meet them and drove the next day to Odessa to meet them.
Curtis and Michael were 8 years old at the time and weighed only a little over 20 pounds. Michael has cerebral palsy, mental impairments, hip dysplasia, reactive airway disease, seizures and is legally blind. Curtis also has cerebral palsy, mental impairments, reactive airway disease, scoliosis and also is legally blind. Anita and Stan grew very fond of Michael and Curtis and despite these challenges, the Tinneys decided to make a life-long commitment to these remarkable boys.
Over a period of months, Anita, Stan and their two daughters got to work on learning how to get through to the boys who were wary of strangers after two years in the nursing home. During this process, the Tinney family became a registered foster home in hopes that someday they could bring the twins to live with them. Michael and Curtis quickly began to recognize the Tinneys as family. Both would delight when Amanda would sing to them and Bailie made them laugh by dressing up as a clown and other costumes to brighten their days.
Michael and Curtis are now 18 years old. Anita and Stan registered for Home Community Service (HCS) so they could continue to have guardianship of Michael and Curtis into adulthood. The family recently moved and Anita says both young men have adjusted amazingly well to their new home and school. They will be receiving music therapy at Richland High School and they both qualified for hippotherapy (therapeutic horseback riding). The Tinneys delighted in every milestone the twins reached along their journey to becoming a permanent family. Anita and Stan feel very blessed and love their life with Michael and Curtis.