Reality

I want to share one of the harsh realities of the orphan situation in this world.

Children are dying.

Just this week I have heard about three young children who passed away waiting for families. Two had families working to come for them, and the third was still waiting to be chosen. These children died because they didn't have access to the medical care and good nutrition they needed. The treatments that would have saved their lives were not available to them in their home countries because of their disabilities, their orphan status, or simply a lack of money.

These children are just three of likely dozens of unknown orphans that gave up the fight this past week.

If you’re considering adoption, consider this: You could literally save a child’s life. Although we don’t consider ourselves Kellin’s “saviors” and his situation was far from the most desperate I’ve heard of, it is a fact that he may not have survived much longer wasting away in his crib in that orphanage.

If adopting a child with “severe” needs is too intimidating or overwhelming to you, consider this: there are children with all levels of needs available. Obviously, I write mainly about Kellin on this blog and I know many would consider his needs to be more toward the “severe” end of the spectrum, but guess what? There children with more “mild” needs that are waiting, too. Just the other day, I saw an agency posting that they were trying to find a family for an 18-month-old boy with corrected clubfeet. Only 18 months old, with a corrected medical condition – and they hadn’t been able to find him a family. There are children with corrected medical conditions, missing fingers/toes, mild cerebral palsy (which may mean they walk with a limp or have one side of the body that is stronger than the other), cleft lip (treatable with surgery and usually speech therapy), facial or limb differences, hearing and vision impairments (some that only affect one ear or eye), and the list goes on and on. Many of these needs are essentially non-issues with appropriate medical care and/or therapy. If you’re considering adoption, I guarantee you can find a child out there with needs you can handle!

*I realize that the terms "mild" and "severe" are very subjective terms, and that a condition considered by one family to be "severe" may be "mild" or "moderate" to another.