It Was Meant To Be: 5000 Plus 9 Adoptions

By Dawn C. Degenhardt and Tim Younes

What if one family's story could change how we see adoption forever?

In It Was Meant to Be, world-renowned adoption advocate Dawn C. Degenhardt, co-authored by Tim Younes, shares the powerful story behind placing over 5,000 children into permanent homes-while raising 9 adopted children of her own. With unwavering faith, determination, and grit, Dawn challenged the broken foster care system and helped launch a national movement known as The Adoption Revolution.

From Maine to Moscow, Sierra Leone to Saigon, this memoir is a front-row seat to the global transformation of adoption policy and practice. Alongside her husband Hunk, Dawn built agencies, survived Stage 4 ovarian cancer, and helped generations of children find love, family, and future. A compelling, honest, and deeply human story of one woman's fight to fix a system-and the family she built along the way.

For changemakers, adoptive families, and anyone who believes in second chances.
Whether you're connected to adoption, exploring foster care, or simply seeking a story of purpose, courage, and compassion-It Was Meant To Be will leave a lasting impression. At 90 years old, Dawn C. Degenhardt shares not just her legacy, but a lifetime of impact that continues to inspire. This is not just a story to read-it's a mission to carry forward.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1639727574
• ISBN13: 9781639727575
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: M & a Publishing
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"