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Open Your Minds #52: International Adoption of Children With Special Needs by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Rated "G" by the Author.
A larger than life family shares their story about adopting children with special needs.
Bill Sandusky (father):
God has blessed us with children that nobody else would even THINK of taking in to their own home; but in each face, we saw a child with potential, and God brought these little Miracles to us after we lost our three own children. I guess He knew we wanted a family of our own, so He gave us children with heartbreaking disabilities to raise as our own.
Our children come from all over the world: Iran, Africa, Bosnia-Hergozovina, France, Germany, China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, Italy, Mexico and Latin America, the continental United States, Canada, and Russia. Now, not
ALL of our children are what you would call "handicapped", but a lot of them are; and some of them have had to struggle just about their entire lives; yet, despite all of the odds that have been placed upon them by uncaring doctors, society in general, or by other people who didn't know any better, each and every one of our kids have flourished under our love and guidance ever since they have come to our family; and they continue TO amaze and delight all who meet them in person.
Louisiana Sandusky (mother):
Bill is right in so many ways. God has brought us each one of these beautiful, precious angels, and it is now to the point to where we can't imagine our lives without any of these children. They have taught us so much about courage in the face of incredible odds, survival, perserverance, determination, and about life itself; and they have shown us that even with all their problems they may face, they are still children first, and they have since captured our hearts and our imaginations in ways we never thought were possible.
Each child has her or his own story to tell. Some are quite inspiring and uplifting, yet, on the other side of the coin, some of the stories are unbelievably, heartbreakingly tragic. Some of these children were abandoned (or thrown away, left to die or fend for themselves), while others were abused or involved in tragic accidents that forever altered their young lives; and some of these children face an uncertain future, as they have catastrophic illnesses like cystic fibrosis or Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.
The first two children to come into our lives were Johnny and Ronee', both, of whom, were just a few months old at the time; and now, they are about to be 11 1/2 years old come Saturday. It doesn't seem possible that so much time has flown by, but each time we look at Johnny or Ronee', we we are absolutely amazed at all they have accomplished in life, and they have grown into lovely soon-to-be teenagers. (They will be 12 years old in December. We took them into our homes when they were just three months old, and they have been with us the longest: just about all their young lives.)
After Johnny and Ronee' came Gemini, Camey, Tammi, Starlight Melody, Jodie Faith, Michael, Stephanie, Dwerlina, and Richard. From just two children, our family swelled to a family of two parents and 11 children; and life at once became very busy. Richard and Jodie proved to be quite a challenge, as both had severe physical disabilities that demanded much of our time and attention: Richard had a tracheostomy, and Jodie was both severely physically and mentally handicapped. Although she was just three at the time, she was more like a baby, and she couldn't walk, talk, eat on her own (she was tube-fed), and was NOT toiled-trained. (She still isn't.) But despite their hardships, both Richard and Jodie continue to be delightful children who thrive under our love and guidance; and they are prime examples that love can overcome whatever difficulties they may face in life.
Bill:
The others have since followed behind in rapid succession; and our family grew from just 11 children to a mind-boggling 50; and now our house suddenly seems very small and cramped. But it is a life we wouldn't trade for anything, and our children are all wonderfully and fearfully made. They all possess unique abilities, and they have taught people that even with all their disabilities, they are all talented, and they have taught people acceptance of the disabled and have allowed people to embrace them and love them. They have compassion for those who are hurting, and they are more than happy to help those in need. They have needs too, but they usually put OTHER people's needs in front of their own, and the response to them has been nothing short of miraculous. They have blessed so many people with their time and talents, and they have succeeded in a world not geared for their disabilities.
Now the children are growing like weeds, and some have already flown the nest; so our house DOES have a little more room than it used to. We have since acquired several grandchildren, and we are fixin' to become grandparents yet again. Our oldest daughter, Lightning, has three children now, and she is due any day with her fourth grandchild, a girl. (At least that is what her obstetrician says. Who knows? It may be a boy; if it is, we will be VERY surprised!) She has three older childen, a girl and two boys, and they are all delightful children. (They live in Colorado.) Our second and third oldest, Dianna and Melizza, live together in an apartment complex for disabled people not far from us; so we see them several times a week. They also come over because they don't have laundry facilities; and Melizza says that Dianna is a terrible cook; and she could use cooking lessons! LOL
As for our fourth oldest, Dwerlina, she is still attending college (she goes to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette), and she works weekends at Mulate's Cajun Restaurant in Breaux Bridge; and she is doing very well in school and in her social life.
Steffi, Number 5, is going to start college in the fall, but she is going to go to Vanderbilt; she wants to go into teaching kids with disablilities on the elementary level. Until then, she is busy working at the Golden Corral, and she loves her job.
The others are doing just as well; and both Louie and myself couldn't be any prouder of them than we are right now. Life is very good to us, even in light of our having damage to our house due to recent storms; but our house has since been repaired, and we are back home and enjoying all that life has to offer.
Louisiana:
Adoption isn't for everyone, but it WAS for us, and it was a decision we have NOT regretted for ONE minute. The process is often hard and long (the hardest of all is the waiting period and not knowing if you are going to get the child or not after he or she has already come into the family), and the bureaucratic red tape is pure-T hell; but once the judge says that the adoption has been approved and has been finalized, you just can't imagine the joy or the relief one feels when they realize that the child they fought so hard to get is now finally and permanently theirs.
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Reviewed by Ruth Marlene Friesen
7/7/2004
You know, Karen, I came to get to know you because you'd given a kind word of review to one of my short stories... It's hard to know when to stop and actually write you, because I've been hopping from one story to another here, but I see that you are truly a kindred spirit to me.
The only difference is that while I have fantasized about marring and adopting all kinds of unwanted kids, you've actually done it. You've put feet to your compassion and actually helped out many. At least I'm assuming most of these stories are from your real life - or from people that you know. I admire you very much for taking that path!
May God bless you wonderfully!
Words flow so easily from you, Karen, do you ever get these stories published? Or perhaps I just haven't read enough here to fully know all about you? That's probably it.
louisiana must really be crazy, or have a lot of love in her heart...i think it's the latter, the love she has for these children of multi-colored hues or abilities shines clearly in your writes. BRAVA! well done!
Bill Sandusky (father):
