Simone Biles, Nellie Biles, and Ronald Biles’ reputation precedes them. Five months ago, the sports realm saw Simone create history at the Paris Olympics. She became the oldest American gymnast ever to claim the Olympic all-around title. For Simone, Paris was a Redemption Tour, to use her epithet. The 27-year-old stood taller than any criticism. She achieved four Olympic medals (including three gold) with her “mom” and “dad”—Nellie and Ronald—as the audience.

Simone truly redeemed herself in Paris. She confessed that after achieving 11 Olympic medals in her career, “Six-year-old me would be proud [emoji].” But why “six-year-old” specifically? What significance does this number hold for Simone and her family? Well, at six, Nellie and Ronald Biles adopted her. Simone Biles’ account of her days under Nellie and Ronald’s care will melt hearts for sure.

How Simone Biles bonded with her parents

Simone Biles’ journey to Olympic glory did not come by easy. When she was a 6-year-old girl, her grandparents Nellie and Ronald adopted Biles from foster care. But how did she find herself under foster care anyway? Simone stated in the Facebook Watch series, Simone Vs. Herself, she was separated from her mother, who was “in and out of jail.” “I never had mom to run to. I do remember always being hungry and afraid,” she shared in that series. Fortunately for Simone Biles, her grandma Nellie became a source of motherly love and affection. The Ohio native chronicled the heart-touching story in her book, Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance.

The entire incident took place after the family’s dinner one night. Nellie attempted to initiate the new equation in the relationship in front of the sisters. She said, “You know, girls, we adopted you both today. So I’m your mother now, and he”—she pointed at my grandpa, who was wiping the table mats—“he’s your father.” The announcement melted Biles’ heart. After spending six years of life with a little care from her mother, she had someone ready to take her mother’s place. Ultimately, she questioned Nellie, “Does that mean I can call you Mom and Dad?” It gets even more emotional after this!

We can feel the Olympian’s happiness through her words: “I kept whispering the words, getting used to the sound of them. Finally, feeling as if I would burst, I ran back downstairs and to the kitchen. ‘Mom?’ I said, standing in the doorway. She looked across at me, her lips twitching like she was trying not to smile.” Nellie in the meantime, responded to Simone Biles’s call, ‘yes.’ Ronald followed the same drill when Simone tested him, calling him, ‘Dad.’ The result was something unforgettable. She had her parents at last. What is better than this for someone who had consistently been on the receiving end, all throughout her childhood?

The Biles couple have always been proud of their ‘daughter’

In the Netflix documentary, Simone Biles Rising, Nellie and Ronald Biles displayed the true emotions of having someone like Simone Biles around them. The couple regularly visited Simone Biles and her siblings at their foster home. Nonetheless, the adoption paved the way for a special beginning. For Nellie, it is a journey from being grandparents to becoming parents. It was a sentimental and precious journey for the Biles family.

When Biles needed it the most, Nellie and Ronald’s love, affection, and guidance came in. Without them stepping in to become Simone’s parents, her journey to the peak would have remained incomplete. We congratulate the couple on shaping and nurturing the force of nature that Simone Biles is!