Adopting and raising a child with special needs is not for everyone….
There are many adoptive parents who have taken on the loving and demanding job of adopting and raising a child with special needs. These parents in my mind are as special as the children they adopt.
What I hear frequently from adoptive parents who are offered the opportunity to adopt a child born with special needs is that if they had given birth to the child they wouldn’t hesitate. They think of the child as their own almost from the start and they become fierce advocates. For many its a lifetime commitment.
One of my favorite memories as an adoption agency director is seeing a three year old named Matthew laughing at a local mall as he tried to run away from his parents, Jack and Peggy. His parents smiled broadly, they were so proud. He was a beautiful toddler , with black curls and a smile that was big and open. And he didn’t walk, he ran…
“And this is the child that we were told might never walk, “ Peggy said “And look at him now. We have to run to keep up.“ The family added another son by adoption, Michael, # of years later. The brothers are best friends!
Michael was born with a life threatening physical condition called esophageal fistula. He was airlifted shortly after birth to a major medical center. Jack and Peggy were with him while he had 7 operations, first to connect his esophagus to his stomach and then later to remove a finger that didn’t function and construct a thumb from his index finger. He still has challenges swallowing and has had four procedures in the last two years.
Jack and Peggy’s time and heart commitment has been enormous . Michael is now thirteen years old and doing well. “You have to take on what you feel you can handle,” Peggy said recently. “We feel blessed. “
Thank you to Director Parker Herring and parents Jack and Peggy for allowing us to share their story.
Do you have a story you’d like to tell? Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com. Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.
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