Ever wondered what happens to all these orphans when they become too old to be adopted? The answer varies based on the child's special needs, and on the country they live in, but here's one example.
This is Barbara.
Barbara is 15 years old. She is an orphan and has cerebral palsy, which affects her legs so she cannot walk. She is independent in caring for herself. She is fortunate to be able to attend school and is doing well. Although she is a smart, independent girl, if she is not adopted, she will be placed in an adult mental institution for the rest of her life. She will not have a family, or a job, or friends outside of the institution. She will be stuck - forever. All of her intelligence and potential will be wasted, simply because she cannot walk. To me, this is a tragedy and an outrage, and it breaks my heart. And because she is already 15 years old, her time is running out. Where is her family??
And remember this little guy?
He is known as Quinntavius on Reece's Rainbow. He will soon turn four years old and his special needs are a missing right hand, droopy eyelids, and developmental delays (which may or may not be the result of institutionalization). Over the past several months, his file has been designated to two different agencies (an agency can hold a child's file for a specific period of time, and if anyone chooses to adopt the child during that time, they must do so through the agency that holds the file). These agencies both tried to find a family for him, but neither was successful, and precious little Quinntavius has just gone back on the shared list (meaning any agency can pull his file). I just can't believe that he has had two agencies advocating for him - and yet still no one has chosen him. I LOVE this little guy and would desperately like to see him in a family. Although there are no guarantees, it is entirely possible that his delays are because of his orphanage environment and that his only true issues are his missing hand and droopy eyelids - and neither of those are really a big deal! There MUST be a family out there who needs a little boy just like this! The love and care of a family could make all the difference!
Speaking of the difference a family can make . . .
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| Someone got his first pre-cane!!!! Doesn't he look independent? |
And an Angel Tree update: We have raised $727.30 for Xander so far, and our fundraisers are still going on! Now if we could just find him a family . . .
Congrats on beautiful Kellin! I have 16 yrs. Special Ed teaching experience and 21 yrs. experience parenting adopted kids. I would go get Barbara tomorrow if only I could afford to!!
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