Fans of Plant City High’s varsity football team got an extra special surprise at last Saturday night’s home game and senior night. Cheerleader Raylynn Thompson, 17 surprised her stepdad, Brian Spencer, by asking him to adopt her.
During senior night, all senior cheerleaders got a chance to be a “flyer,” the person who is lifted into the air during a stunt. She used that moment in the air to hold a sign reading “Brian, will you adopt me?”
“Brian has been in my life for as long as I can remember and while I’ve always thought about asking him to adopt me, God put it into my heart and it felt like the perfect time,” said Thompson.
Spencer has treated her like his own daughter since her mom, Jessica Stevenson, started dating him 12 years ago.
Sitting in the stands, Spencer read the sign and heard other cheerleaders yell “Hey, Brian,” and broke out in tears and ran down to the field to give her a big hug. “This was something I’ve always wanted but left the decision up to her,” he said. “I love her so much.”
The desire had been brewing in Thompson for a long time. Several years ago, when she was nine or ten years old, she wrote a letter to her mom telling her she wanted Spencer to adopt her, a letter he happened upon one day while cleaning the house. He tucked that letter away in his dresser drawer, pulling it out a couple times a year to reread it and dream of the day she would ask him the question he wanted to hear.
“My dream came true Saturday night,” he said.
Thompson’s mom Jessica Stevenson, who was sitting next to Spencer in the stands, hugged him and shared in his excitement after he read the sign. “I’m so proud of her, this is probably one of the top nights of my life,” she said. “Their relationship is about unconditional love has been a beautiful thing to watch and is so special.”
Spencer, who is affectionately called “Big B” for his loud and cheerful personality, has done all the things a good dad should do, like attending her cheer competitions, weekly lunch dates at Wendy’s, taking her on drives to talk and listen to music and randomly cleaning her room and car. “He’s such an amazing person and is always there for me,” she said.
Thompson, who did all the research about the adoption process by herself, plans to sign the documents on her 18th birthday, Dec. 11.
After the game, Spencer sent Thompson, who had plans with friends, a text message. “I told her the piece of paper will be great but she’s already my daughter and I”m her dad,” he said. “This is the final touches of a long story and it means the world to me.”