‘I Had a Mission': Woman Regains Custody of Her 5 Children Days Before Mother's Day

While many of us prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend, about 19,000 Florida children will spend it in foster care, away from their biological moms for different reasons.

For the past two years, five siblings were part of that statistic until their mother was given the chance to get custody back — and she stepped up.  

Francesca Hashimoto lost her children during a difficult custody battle. Then in 2021, her five kids were taken from their father by the Department of Children and Families, and she sprang into action.

“I came down to Florida," Hashimoto said. "I had a mission. I wanted to get my children back."

The courts gave Hashimoto a series of requirements in order to get custody of her children. It was a plan that included dozens of hours of different therapy and classes.

“When they gave me that case plan, I took it on head-on," she said. "Just did it and did it, until one was done, and then move on to the next."

In the meantime, her children were placed at His House Children’s Home in Miami Gardens, an organization that works hard to keep sibling groups together.

“Many times they're separated when they go into foster care, and that is part of the trauma that is additional to what they already have," says David Castellon, development director for His House. "So for us, it's very important that they're able to stay together."

Hashimoto spent about two years focused only on getting her children back.

“That whole time, His House had my children, and they took care of them, you know, in better ways than I could have ever imagined," she said. "They fed them, clothed them, and those are very basic things, but it's more than that. They took care of them." 

In the beginning, Francesca was given the chance to visit her children once a week for two hours.

“That lasted for about seven months, and I never missed a visit. Then it got extended to 4 hours and then we start going out,” she says.

“She worked so, so hard at getting her children back," said Castellon. "And what was inspiring about her was not only how committed she was, but the level of faith that she showed up like that: 'I'm going to get through this.'"

Then, just weeks before Mother’s Day, Hashimoto got a surprise: a phone call saying she had been reunified with her children and that she needed to pick them up right away.

She says she was overcome with joy when she received that call and then realized that, although she had worked hard to secure a safe place for her children to live, she had an empty apartment.

“When we heard that she needed some help to get things restarted, we immediately sprang into action," said Castellon. "With the faithful help of our partners, especially Infusion Communication, we were able to provide the new furniture and decorations. We did a whole makeover."

“They made me leave for like 6 hours, and when I came back, this house was completely transformed," said Hashimoto with tears in her eyes. "And there were pictures of my children on the wall — pictures I've never seen. It made me feel good that people that had known my children for those two years when I couldn't take care of them, had these moments with them and shared them with me. It was really special to me."

Now, for the first time in years, thanks to her perseverance and the help she got from His House, Hashimoto and her children are spending their first Mother’s Day together.

“One of the most amazing accomplishments that I could ever imagine was," she said. "I'm so happy to have my children back."

Hashimoto hopes her story inspires others by showing parents who have lost their children that they can work to get them back.

This outcome would not have been possible without the kind people who care for children placed in foster care through no fault of their own. May is foster care month and His House Children’s Home always offers free Foster parent training workshops.

You can learn more about His House Children’s Home by visiting their website www.hhch.org.