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Central Florida man adopted 22 years later

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — For most people, Thanksgiving is a day dedicated to family.

This year, the celebration was an opportunity for a man who waited 22 years to be adopted to spend time with two new families.

Channel 9's Janine Reyes spent Thanksgiving Day with the man while he shared his journey to getting a family.

“I just got adopted from my foster mom last year,” said Tyrone Burns Smith.

Smith and his two brothers were taken from their mother when he was 4 years old.

For a decade, Burns said he moved from foster home to foster home, then he moved in with Peter and Ann Marie Smith.

“By time he got to us, he was already tired of the system,” Peter Smith said.

The Smiths have six biological children in addition to Burns and his brothers.

After Burns got into an argument with Peter Smith, he said he expected to be sent to another family; that didn’t happen.

“I said, ‘Tyrone, I really love you. I'm never going to let you go,’” Ann Marie Smith said.

“She told me she would never leave me. She would never give up on me like everybody else has.  That day made my life,” Burns said.

The Smiths adopted Burns last October.

“No matter the age, every kid needs a home,” Burns said.

This year. he got married. This Thanksgiving, after spending 8,030 days without one family, Burns now has two.

“Two families, two. I have a big family and I feel blessed to have all of them,” Burns said.