Myka Stauffer, a YouTube influencer with over 717,000 subscribers, made a startling admission this week.
And she’s now facing extreme backlash for what she and her husband, James, decided to do.
Breaking into tears on video, Stauffer said on Tuesday that the couple has decided to "rehome" their son Huxley, whom they adopted two and a half years ago from China.
The toddler is Autistic and he’s been featured in a number of videos alongside his Internet famous parents.
"Once Huxley came home, there was a lot more special needs that we weren’t aware of, and that we were not told," James said in this new piece of footage.
In a blog written by Myka for The Bump in 2017, she explained that he was "profoundly developmentally delayed."
In addition to a brain cyst and brain tumor, Huxley was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder level 3 after returning to Amerrica.
"For us, it’s been really hard hearing from the medical professionals, a lot of their feedback, and things that have been upsetting," James continued.
"We’ve never wanted to be in this position. And we’ve been trying to get his needs met and help him out as much as possible … we truly love him."
As you might expect, Myka and James have been slammed left and right for giving up their child.
Not only because they served as his parents for years and this move may have a negative impact on the boy… but also because they profited off their custody of him by putting Huxley in so many videos since the day they adopted him.
"There’s not an ounce of our body that doesn’t love Huxley with all of our being," Myka tearfully added.
"There wasn’t a minute that I didn’t try our hardest and I think what Jim is trying to say is that after multiple assessments, after multiple evaluations, numerous medical professionals have felt that he needed a different fit and that his medical needs, he needed more."
Do I feel like a failure as a mom? 500 percent, Myka added.
So when we get insidious, hurtful comments, it really makes it hurt worse.
In September, Myka shared a YouTube video to update her fans on Huxley’s two-year adoption anniversary.
She regularly chronicled the family’s journey to adopt him, including monthly and yearly updates on their progress.
After four months of searching for the best possible outcome for Huxley, Myka and James said he’s now with his "forever family."
"He is thriving. He is really happy, doing really well. His new mommy has medical, professional training and it’s a really good fit," Myka says.
Still, as you might expect, many of Myka’s followers have said they would no longer be watching her family channel, while others criticized her for using Huxley in monetized content.
"Giving away one of my children isn’t a viable option for me, though," wrote one Twitter user.
"Surely there are better methods of managing the obligations you willingly accepted. Frankly, I’m not interested in any kind of advice from anyone who would do this."
Myka and James are parents to four other children, Kova, Jaka, Radley and Onyx.
They understand a lot of the criticism, but are also asking subscibers for privacy.
"The last couple months have been like the hardest thing I could have ever imagined to going to choosing to do because ultimately, after pouring our guts and our heart into this little boy," she says.