Naperville Family Opens Home, Hearts To Welcome Kids Who Lost Parents

NAPERVILLE, IL —Jen and John Baer already had two teen children of their own when the mother of their son Ryan's best friend came to them with a very big question. The Baers' answer to her unexpected question changed each family in a way neither would have imagined just a couple years ago.

Ryan Baer and Cameron DiNardo quickly became friends shortly after they met in middle school. The boys were "joined at the hip for really sixth grade through senior year," John Baer told Patch. As time passed, Cameron often visited the Baers' home and as the two boys entered high school, they began planning to attend the same college.

During this time, Jen and John Baer knew little of Cameron's family, apart from the fact that his mother, Yelena, who had cancer, had been born in Ukraine and that Cameron had a younger sister, Michelle.

In October 2021, Cameron was looking forward to heading to a vacation with his family when he got a phone call that his father, Christopher, had died of a heart attack.

"Everything was normal and one night my family was planning a vacation and the night before we were gonna leave I got news that my dad passed away. My mom had cancer, so I didn’t really know what was gonna happen," Cameron told Patch.

Not long after Cameron and Michelle's father died, their mother, Yelena, began coughing more and more. In July, Yelena fell at a gas station and injured her face.

Shortly after, she reached out to John and Jen Baer to ask them that very big question.

Late one evening, Yelena called John and Jen, saying she didn't know how much longer she had to live, and that she would like to know if John and Jen could take in Cameron and Michelle. Yelena explained that her mother, her only relative in the United States, was in assisted living and could not care for her children.

John also did not have family nearby to provide care, and Yelena wanted to keep the children in the same school district.

During the call, Yelena told Jen and John, “I don’t know who else to turn to, and you have been so kind.”

When Yelena first approached them, Jen and John assumed they'd have a year or two to consider taking the children in, but Yelena declined quickly, and they were forced to make a decision sooner than anticipated.

After deliberating and discussing, Jen and John finally agreed and ultimately took in Cameron and Michelle after Yelena died in September 2022, shortly after Cameron and Ryan began their first year of college at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

'A Whirlwind'

"It’s a whirlwind of thoughts and questions that go through your minds from the little tiny things to the major things," John said.

A month into college, Cameron “had to be an adult really fast," John Baer told Patch. The teen had to return frequently to close on the sale of his family home, take over bills and handle other logistics.

The Baers had to negotiate adding the children to their insurance and cellphone plans, adjusting to cooking for two additional family members, planning college and juggling other logistics.

All the while, Cameron was processing the loss of his mother and father less than a year apart.

For her part, Michelle, 15, is getting adjusted to living with three new people, Jen explained. She has also benefited from having a newfound bond with the daughter she never had.

With Cameron is away at college, Michelle is "taking to some of our traditions and things we do," Jen said.

Jen said she and Michelle went shopping for a homecoming dress together, which brought them even closer. Inspired by Jen, who figure skates, Michelle has talked about taking skating lessons.

Jen said, "I don’t know what’s going on inside her head and heart, but I feel she has a sense of being and belonging here."

Making New Memories

As of December, Michelle had not yet received her social security survivor benefits.

"We’re nervous because we also have one in college now that we are paying fully and our youngest in a couple years will also be looking into college."

Friends of the Baer family started a GoFundMe account to help them with expenses. Jen told Patch she is "very appreciative and very thankful" for all the support they have gotten.

In late November, the evergreen tree Michelle and Cameron played under as children was cut down — another difficult change for them.

Jen said “Those kind of memories are hard, but we’re trying to go forward creating new ones."

How to Help

Click the link to donate to the Baer family GoFundMe.

Patch is a GoFundMe promotional partner.