Advertisement Foster parents share story of love Denise, John Potter lose a son to violence, end up adopting little boy Share Shares Copy Link Copy

There are often a lot of depressing stories in the news, but WISN 12 News' Toya Washington went On Assignment with a family whose journey to heal gives hope.Denise and John Potter love kids. They've had five, and they light up when they talk about Lyle, the youngest and most recent addition to their family."He's a little boy with lots of energy," Denise Potter said.The couple decided to become foster parents and got a call that there was a 5-week-old baby that had nowhere to go and needed a home."So here you have this enormous gift that fills your heart. It's not supposed to be that simple," Denise Potter said.It was perhaps, miraculously simple, especially after an unimaginable loss."Our son, Nathan, was killed by two black young men, and it would be easy to become racist because of that one incident. When you bring home this child that is the same skin color, and you look at this gift from God that you are holding, you realize this in not something about color, and so in one small way, if we can affect one small child in the name of our son, that's one positive thing we can add," John Potter said.Lyle will have every opportunity the Potters can give him except one. He will never have the chance to know his brother, Nathan Potter. He died at age 21 in a senseless shooting in Riverwest in 2009. Nathan Potter was the one who pushed his parents to bring another baby into the family."It was a divine intervention that Nathan had said, 'No mom, you're getting a baby.' We bring this bundle home, everybody's heart just starts opening up loving him, and he just gave everybody life back," Denise Potter said.The Potters said Lyle has given them more than they've given him, and through their experience, they've become passionate advocates for fostering."It's amazing how much you get out of it. It's just the unconditional love. If you can give unconditional love to a child, then you can do this," Denise Potter said.On Wednesday, the Potters did one more thing in the name of unconditional love."Finally, I am happy to announce I grant your petition for adoption," Judge Kevin Martens said.Even in the weeks after Nathan Potter's death, Denise and John shared their private pain with WISN 12 News.They kept their journey to becoming foster parents private, to let the legal system work and to preserve the privacy of everyone involved. The Potters agreed to tell their story now to draw attention to the need for foster families and the importance of that role in any child's life.According to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families about 8,000 children are living with foster families in the state living in 5,200 foster homes.A foster parent has to be 21, but there's no set age or range. You don't have to be a homeowner or married. You can be a renter, married or single and work in or outside the home.If anyone is interested in fostering, visit http://dcf.wisconsin.gov/children/foster.