LOCKHART, Texas — When 17-year-old Asher thinks back to his early childhood, some memories are hard to relive.
"I was kind of left in the dirt, and it's a horrible feeling. You feel like someone stabbed you in the back. I don't want anyone else to have to go through that," Asher said.
He entered the Texas foster care system when he was a little boy.
"I grew up on my own, and I want to tell my story and be an inspiration to others," Asher said.
KVUE's Hannah Rucker spent the day with Asher at a cute farm in Lockhart, Texas, called Goat Shenanigans. The owners allow people to rent out their goats for various events and mental health benefits.
Asher finds peace in the outdoors. He said before he was removed from his biological parents, he lived in Colorado and he even remembers seeing a black bear in the wild when he was a child. He said bears will always be his favorite animal.
"It's a source of tranquility for me," Asher said.
PHOTOS | Forever Families: Meet Asher
Asher's favorite food is lobster, he loves playing football and he sees himself going into the military. He's currently in ROTC.
"I want to join the military or continue down the path of sports. What I really want to do is make a name for myself," Asher said.
His caseworker, Sarah, said he's a gentle giant with a kind spirit and great manners.
"He was such a gentleman, he grabbed the door and pulled up a chair for me," Sarah told KVUE.
At 17 years old, Asher is hoping to be adopted before he ages out of the foster care system. He said he wants a family to ride out the storms of life with.
"I just really want a mom and a dad figure because I never had that," he said.
To learn more about Asher or to put in an inquiry to adopt him, visit his page on the Heart Gallery of Central Texas.
KVUE launched the Forever Families segment with Partnerships for Children (PFC) in June 2020 to highlight children in the Heart Gallery of Central Texas who need secure and permanent families. Every day, there are nearly 1,000 children waiting to get adopted in Central Texas, according to PFC.
Editor's note: The children who are in the Heart Gallery program and featured in KVUE's Forever Families segments are children who have had every effort made on their behalf to connect them with family or others in their community to provide options for permanent, adoptive homes. Through no fault of their own, that hasn’t happened yet, and so in partnership with the Department of Family and Protective Services, we collaborate to bring awareness to KVUE viewers about these children in the hopes of finding them permanency before they age out.
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