Today

Just over a year ago, I hurt my back. I still don't know exactly what I did, but the pain was intense. It was painful to be in any position, and it was especially painful to walk around, as I couldn't stand up straight. Tigger made me a "cane" out of his brightly colored pipe toys, and I actually used it for several days (and it really helped!). The most difficult part was caring for Kellin - lifting him, taking him up and down the stairs, getting him in and out of his carseat (this would actually bring tears to my eyes, it was so painful). And as luck would have it, this also happened to be the week that Daddy was working out of town, and Rabbit had just broken her foot and was on crutches. So neither of them could help with carrying Kellin around. There were multiple people that suggested that I just make Kellin walk. And he could crawl up and down the stairs, right? I actually laughed at these suggestions. There was no way Kellin could walk around, manage the stairs, get in and out of the car! At that point in time, I found the idea absolutely ridiculous!

And yet . . . look at Kellin today! He does all of these things! I wouldn't have believed it a year ago, but he can walk, he can climb, he can get around the house all on his own. It's truly amazing what he has accomplished!

Today is July 12th. That means exactly 18 months ago, I was in China signing papers to legally make Kellin our son. Wow. The child we have today is so different from the one I met a year and a half ago. A year and a half ago, I was scared to death - excited and happy - but scared about Kellin's future and the future of our family with Kellin in it. And now - now we can't imagine our family without Kellin in it! He teaches us to celebrate the small steps of progress he makes, he gives great hugs, and he adds such a goofy little personality to our family.

On another note . . .

I also have some sad news to share today. If you've been following this blog for a while, you may remember a little guy called Quinntavius.

He is four years old and his special need is a missing right hand and possibly droopy eyelids. He also shows some developmental delays, probably as a result of being in a poor orphanage situation. His last update was nearly a year ago, so who knows what his skills are now, but at that time, they reported he was crawling well (and he can - I've seen a video) and starting to talk.

I reported back in January that he had a family. Unfortunately, I learned yesterday that his family is no longer coming for him and he is waiting again to be chosen. I'm not sure I can adequately express how much this breaks my heart. Four years old, a minor special need (although admittedly with some unknowns), and no one has chosen him?? He needs out of his orphanage desperately!! Where is his family? Several adoption agencies have tried to find him a family, all without success, but I refuse to believe that no one wants this delightful, precious, deserving little boy. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

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.