A special family in Arizona shares their story. They are Native American Indian.

We really never planned to have kids; it just happened that way.

My name is Naomi GreyWolf, and I am the wife of Annawon, who is my husband, and the adoptive mother to six wonderful children who have brightened both Won's and my lives.

Our children are named, in order of age and size: Dakota (1 1/2), Enapay (3), Kele (5)--the boys--, Abey (6), Chumani (8), Kaya (9), and Talise (11)--the girls. Our children are all disabled. Dakota and Abey are both hearing-impaired, and Ena, Kele, and Chumani are all learning disabled or developmentally delayed. Kaya has asthma and spina bifida (she uses crutches and braces to walk), and Talise has seizures and is brain damaged. She can't walk either, and she can't talk or do much for herself. She is like a big infant; but she is still a very sweet girl who knows how to tug at our heartstrings!

We took in these children because their parents didn't want to take the responsibility of raising them; so we took it upon ourselves to be their parents. We haven't been disappointed, no, not once! These children exude courage and grace, and they have truly blessed our lives here on the reservation, where we live. We live in Prescott, Arizona, and we (the parents) are Navajo. The kids are a conglomerate of tribes: Crow, Sioux, Cherokee, and Nez Perce. We may be of different tribes, but we are all Native Americans just the same, and we are going to try to teach our children the beauty of our culture and appreciate their Indian heritage.

We have met many people who also adopt special needs kids at picnics or seminars, and we are not alone in this journey. We all share a common interest, and we all love kids, especially those who are handicapped in some way. Too many of these kids do NOT have a stable home environment, and a lot of them do not know what it is to be loved, so this is why we do this. We want to help the world, one little child at a time, and we want to make their lives a little brighter.

We didn't expect to have kids, but then the Great Spirit gave us a vision, and He showed us that children were in need of families, and so we decided to try it; and we have now become a family to not one, not two, or even three, but seven beautiful children whom we have come to love and cherish as our own! The Great Spirit has certainly blessed us in a wonderful and special way, and we are indeed very grateful!