Tag: reece’s rainbow

… if he/she had a sibling with special needs? It’s not a question that commonly occurs to parents-to-be but it can be if some scan indicated something… or if you were considering special needs adoption.

i started reading up everything i could about special needs when my son’s kindergarten teacher said he was having problems 10 weeks into being a kindergartener. Then came the doctor with blinders and then a second opinion with a more open-minded approach and we have been doing various therapies since. Now my son’s so-called “special needs” are absolutely mild… so mild i’m doubtful it will stick with him for life.

But that led me into the world of special needs and i started reading special needs blogs. ‘Flappiness Is‘ is one which i enjoy reading, she has such a way with words, such a great perspective… she wrote about When Siblings Have Special Needs. And i want to share with you my favourite lines from that post (brackets are mine):

Her kindness toward this child (a special needs child) awed me. I would have expected discomfort and reticence in a child her age. But my daughter, just a kindergartener, has already learned a valuable lesson that some won’t ever learn even in a full lifetime. The body is just a shell containing a person with wants and needs like every other. As human beings, our job is then to show an interest in all people and — if necessary — help them to access the same things in life that we all enjoy.

Now hold that thought; the one which says that the body is just a shell containing a person with wants and needs…

Now meet William and Tommy.

They are brothers and are orphans. They are both delayed developmentally. The old brother, William, has autism symptoms, mild thoracic scoliosis, strabismus, and the younger brother, Tommy, has congenital thalassemia.

BUT… when they were taken out of the orphanage and into foster families, they both responded well and are making progress. See what happens when someone takes the time to love on a special needs child? Can you imagine how wonderfully they would respond to a forever family?

Could you be the family who will help William and Tommy “access the same things in life that we all enjoy”? If yes, please contact Reece’s Rainbow for more information.

Adoption is a call and not everyone is called to it. But you can still help, even if not called.

You can pray, pray for these brothers that their daily needs be met, that they continue to make good progress in therapy and life, and most important, that their forever family comes for them real soon.

You can also share their story with everyone you know so that through some connection, their forever family might find them.

You can also help that family reach them faster by reducing the very high costs of international adoption; you can contribute towards their currently very small adoption grant. Click on their names or pictures to go to their profile page to donate.

Thank you very much.

i leave you with another quote from Leigh Merryday of Flappiness Is:

No one wants their children to struggle in life anymore than is their due. Yet, these children continue in countless ways to bestow unexpected blessings. No, despite the good intentions of those claiming we are “special people” to whom God has given these children, we know we aren’t unique. It’s our children who change us for the better — along with every person whose lives they touch. Our children help to calibrate our moral compass by reminding us what it really means to be human.

syc

Today i want you to meet a sweetheart named Justine.

Isn’t she pretty? i bet you that she would be even prettier if she has lovely long hair with a pretty bow in it. But her hair has been chopped off as it always is for special needs orphans who have been sent to live in an institute, most likely an adult mental institution.

Justine has congenital microcephaly and autism but she is fully mobile and active. However, there are these cautionary notes in her file: “As with all children living in these difficult conditions, this child’s cognitive development has regressed significantly since he/she was younger. It is of crucial importance that any family considering the adoption of an older child from the mental institution setting be well prepared for what to expect with regards to how the neglect and lack of adequate medical care and nourishment has affected this child.”

Sounds a little shocking, maybe even frightening?

But it goes on to say: “These children all have TREMENDOUS potential for improvement, and deserve to have a life outside these four walls.”

And indeed they do have amazing potential… i have read about the amazing improvements these precious ones have made with the aid of a loving family, many times over, in my year advocating for these orphans.

i recently read a most wonderful post from a wonderful mummy who just came home a few months ago with her beautiful daughter from Eastern Europe. Her daughter has many needs and they have a long journey in helping her recover from the lack of medical care in the institution she was at. And yes some of her issues will be long-term and some can sound quite scary but she is now loved with all the love a family can give and that has made all the difference.

Listen to what this wonderful mummy says might happen to you if you adopted a special needs child:

It might make you keenly aware of how fragile the human body is, and how amazing the human spirit is, and how quickly things can change – every. single. day. And you might come to realize what a good thing this daily reminder is. It is not a curse or a burden, it is a BLESSING. Because you begin to understand that so many things you worry about are frivolous and insignificant. When you begin to realize this, you start to loosen your grip on those things and turn more of your attention to the things (ie. people) that do matter. You might go out and enjoy watching your kids play in the backyard today because you know that you could be at the hospital with a child who has broken a hip or needs neurosurgery tomorrow.

Yes you read that correctly… “it is a BLESSING.”

So do you think Justine is that blessing which has been missing from your family? If so, please contact Reece’s Rainbow for more details.

Even if you are not Justine‘s forever family, you can help her in her journey to having a caring family. You can share her story so that others may come to know about her and share about her and who knows, you might just be that link to her forever family.

You can also pray for Justine‘s daily needs and for her forever family to come for her as soon as possible.

You can make her forever family’s journey to her that much easier by contributing to her adoption grant. International adoptions are ridiculously expensive. Please help by clicking on her name or picture to go to her profile page to donate.

Thank you.

syc

Please go here to read the whole post i quoted from.