When Mike Foster fell off a ladder while working as a window cleaner more than 10 years ago his life changed in two ways. Firstly his leg was "busted" and he was left bedridden for five months. But the incident also gave him the chance to press pause and re-evaluate everything that was going on in his life.
One of those things was the decision to become a foster carer, which he had mulled over for many years. "I got the chance to re-organise and do something I really wanted to do. I applied and I went through the process when I was incapacitated," said the 62-year-old, who lives in Newport.
Helping younger people had been a theme throughout Mike's life to that point. He was the oldest of three siblings and had looked after his brother and sister. Later on he nurtured children when he joined the Air Cadets. The dad also has four children of his own – two that were adopted – and 13 grandchildren. "I've been doing it all my life really," he said. It seemed like a natural opportunity."
