
My son, Camden Jase, is eight years old. He has a killer smile, ever-twinkling dark-brown eyes, and hair done in a close-cropped Afro style. He was adopted from Africa when he was three; we have had him for going on five years. We adopted him from Ethiopia.
Camden is like many other kids his age: he doesn't like to get up before the crack of dawn for school, broccoli or spinach, or doing his room. Yet he knows he has to do these things, so he tries to do it without much fuss. Camden would rather play with his friends, play with his Akita puppy, watch television, play on the computer, or sleep in on the weekends (noon is fine with him on Saturday mornings). He also loves to go to church every Sunday and sing in the children's choir.
Camden also happens to stand out. He doesn't have any arms or legs. He was born that way. It was because of this that his birth parents abandoned him at the orphanage when he was a baby and nobody wanted him ... that was, until he was three years old, when the adoption agency called and told us about him. When we heard his story and then saw his picture, we were smitten.
We knew young Eze was to be the child we would adopt. We alrady had one child, a then six-year-old girl, and we wanted to have a brother for her. We immediately set the process in motion to adopt Eze and it was only a few months later when we got The Call, the call that was to change our lives forever. The adoption had been approved; we would soon have a son!
It was a day full of joy (and many tears) when we picked Eze up at the airport. We couldn't have been any happier if we tried.
While at first there were many problems (among them the language barrier or figuring out how to teach our brand new son how to do things for himself), he ultimately persevered, and now there is nothing that Eze (since renamed Camden) won't try to do! He is extremely determined and has the most positive attitude I have ever seen!
Now Camden and his sister sometimes fight (what brother or sister group doesn't??), but more often than not, Corbyn Danielle and Camden Jase are the best of friends. They would do anything for each other. They love each other very, very much.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our amazing son. He touches people wherever he goes, and people are always amazed at his courageous spirit. They soon forget that he doesn't have arms or legs because they are so focused on his exhuberant personality and ability to make others laugh!