She Adopted a Poor Abandoned Black Girl. How the Girl Repaid Her 27 Years Later Is Unbelievable!

Elaine de Prince had a heart full of love and kindness, and this led her to adopt a poor black girl from Sierra Leone, Michaela. That nobody wanted. How the girl repaid her 27 years later is truly unbelievable. On January 6, 1995, Michaela was born into a Muslim family in Sierra Leone amidst a civil war. Tragically, her father died during this conflict, and soon after, her mother passed away due to severe fever and hunger.

At the age of three, Michaela, named Mabente by her biological parents, was taken to an orphanage by her uncle, who refused to care for the young girl. There, she faced many hardships due to her skin condition, Vitiligo, which caused patches of pigmentation on her neck and face.

Michaela’s experience at the orphanage was far from pleasant. She was constantly told she wasn’t attractive enough to be adopted and that no one wanted her, earning her the nickname “Devil’s Child.” With no place to go, the little girl was forced to endure her childhood in such deplorable conditions. Michaela was assigned the number 27 at the orphanage, a number which symbolized her as the least favorite child. As such, she was always last in line for food, water, and clothes. Many times when it was her turn, the food would already be finished, and the girl would have nothing to eat.

Despite the mistreatment from other children in the orphanage, Michaela found solace and friendship in one girl. The girl had turned 26, and surprisingly, her name was also Mabinti. Despite their difficult circumstances, their bond only strengthened over time as they relied on each other for support.

Number 26 liked to share the little she had with Michaela, especially food and water, since she knew that Michaela only got a little. They played together, sat together at lessons, ate, and slept together. Mabinti’s friendship and the kind words she received from her favorite teachers gave Michaela the strength to ignore the negative treatment she received from others. Whenever they called her terrible names, she would smile and say, “I don’t care, I will be great someday.”

One day, Michaela was outside when the wind blew a magazine onto her face. She grabbed the magazine and lowered it from her face, and then she saw the most gorgeous thing ever. On the cover was a ballerina who was standing on her toes in pointy shoes. The beautiful ballerina looked so peaceful and happy.

However, it didn’t occur to Michaela that this ballerina was fair-skinned and extraordinarily pretty; everything others said she was not. She was just focused on how happy the ballerina looked and wanted to know what that felt like. It was then she decided to become exactly like this woman on the magazine cover.

From that day on, Michaela’s most prized possession became that magazine. She kept it away from everyone and would often stare at it in secret so she could keep her dream alive. Unfortunately, more difficulties came Michaela’s way. Her favorite teacher died at the hands of rebels, and their orphanage was destroyed.

To get to the nearest refugee camp, Michaela and 26 other children had to walk several miles. At the camp, Michaela witnessed many horrifying incidents because of the ongoing war. However, unbeknownst to this little girl, her suffering was about to come to an end, all thanks to Elaine de Prince.

Elaine lived in New Jersey, United States. From a young age, she had always dreamed of having a big family. She wanted to make a difference in the world by adopting children who needed love and care. With this goal in mind, she set her sights on Africa as one place where she could find these children. Elaine and her husband Charles learned about the orphan children at the refugee camp in Sierra Leone and wanted to adopt one of them. That lucky child wasn’t Michaela; it was her friend Mabinti, number 26. But as fate would have it, a few weeks before the official adoption, something unexpected happened.

Elaine was in her home when she received a call from the adoption agency that left her confused. The agency had called to ask her which of the Mabintis she wanted to adopt because there were two of them. Elaine was surprised and curious, so she asked for details about the two girls. It was then she got to know how the children were numbered. The child she wanted to adopt was number 26, while the other child they were informing her about was number 27.

The staff told Elaine that Michaela had been rejected several times because of her skin condition. “The moment I found out that 12 families had rejected Michaela because of her Vitiligo, I was furious. How could they do that to a precious little child? I immediately felt a powerful urge to give her the love and care she lacked,” Elaine recalled.

Committed to protecting the rights of the oppressed, especially children, Elaine made the courageous decision to adopt two girls. After getting off the phone, Elaine reached out to her husband and informed him of Michaela’s heartbreaking situation and her decision to adopt the two girls. Although he was away on a business trip, Charles trusted his wife and supported her decision.

When it was time to bring the girls home, Elaine traveled down to the refugee camp in Sierra Leone. Despite being aware of Michaela’s situation, she wasn’t prepared for what she saw when they first met. It was a heartbreaking sight. Michaela was in a vomit-stained dress; she was so nervous about getting adopted that she felt sick.

She was malnourished, and seeing her sick, doubtful, and unhappy made me cry,” Elaine shared. That day, Michaela stood in a corner with her arms folded, and she stared at Elaine distrustfully. It was obvious that the young girl thought that the adults were playing a cruel trick on her. She braced herself for rejection, not wanting to get her hopes up and risk further disappointment.

Interestingly, Elaine wasn’t thrown off by Michaela’s attitude. She walked over to her and took her hands in hers, then she looked into the little girl’s scared eyes and made a promise. “I am going to take you home as my child. You’re mine now, and I will always love you. No one will ever hurt you again, and you will be so happy,” Elaine said softly. And Michaela immediately burst into tears. The poor girl couldn’t believe someone was willing to adopt her. “It’s okay, don’t cry, smile and be happy,” Elaine consoled.

The little girl did as she was told. She wiped her eyes and smiled, then she ran inside and returned with the magazine, which she handed to Elaine. It was the first time she would ever show anyone the magazine. Ever since she found it, Elaine immediately understood that the little girl admired the ballerina.

So she asked, “Do you want to be like her, right?” Michaela nodded, flashing a coy smile. “You can be anything you want if only you believe and work for it. I will help you achieve your dream,” Elaine promised and kissed the little girl’s forehead. Michaela was overcome with emotion. She cried and hugged Elaine tightly.

While signing the required papers, Elaine realized that it would be confusing to call both girls Mabinti de Prince. So, she renamed them: Mia and Michaela. Once everything was settled, Elaine returned with her daughters to the U.S. Michaela had 10 siblings: nine were adopted, and one was Elaine’s biological child. In comparison to the orphanage where she used to live, her new home provided enough food, water, and clothes for everyone. Each member of the family felt valued and respected. Elaine kept her promise, because as soon as Michaela settled in, she registered her in a dance class.

It didn’t take long for Michaela and everyone in her family to know that she couldn’t live without dance and what a brilliant dancer she was. Despite this, though, Michaela still struggled with insecurities about her appearance, particularly concerning her skin condition. Luckily, Elaine was always there to remind her to accept and love herself. She also offered her support in various ways. She would spend lots of hours dyeing Michaela’s pale costumes and pointy shoes to match her skin tone. She was also always there to cheer her up whenever she got rejected because of her looks.

Elaine’s efforts and support eventually began to pay off. When Michaela turned 14, the teenager won a prestigious scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theater in New York. She starred in a documentary too. When Michaela turned 20, she became a member of the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. She even met the ballerina on the cover of her favorite magazine, Magali Massac, who was retired, and they became friends. Michaela’s success was remarkable, so much so that she was featured in music videos by Madonna and Beyoncé.

After years of hard work and dedication, Michaela was ecstatic to see her dream of becoming a professional ballerina come true. Despite the challenges she faced along the way, all her efforts paid off in the end. One cold evening, Michaela sat on her couch and reflected on how far she had come. It had taken her 27 years to get to where she was now. Michaela was thankful for Elaine. Without her help, none of this would have been possible. As an appreciation for everything that Elaine had done for her, here is what the girl did to repay her:

Michaela took Elaine on a luxury trip and bought her thoughtful gifts, including her dream car. To date, she also makes sure she spends quality time with her, no matter how busy she gets. Elaine and Michaela are proud and happy to be in each other’s lives.