A woman in Louisiana writes Louisiana a letter after reading an article about her and her family in a Christian magazine.
Sunday, the 3rd of October, 2004~
Dear Louisiana Sandusky~
Hello! My name is Rosemunde (Rosie) Clarice Bergegeay (pronounced like Bear sah jay), and I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with my husband, Ken, and my five children (all girls). My children range in age from five on up to fifteen, and they are all adopted.
They are also disabled.
I wanted to tell you about myself and my family, especially after reading your inspiring story in the latest issue of Christian Family Today, and after reading your story, I felt compelled to write to you.
I am a nures; and my husband works at General Motors, where he is a press operator; so we don't really have to worry about money. Our children are all girls, and their names/ages are: Rachelle Miranda (15; Down's syndrome), Heidi Korinne (12; c.p.; walks with the aid of Lofstrand crutches and leg braces), Gabriella (Gabri) Isabella (10; severe brain damage, can't walk or talk, dependent on others for her daily care), Tiffany Elizabeth (8; Tourette's syndrome), and the youngest, five-year-old Aurora Dawnee' (facial abnormalities). All of our children but one (Aurora) came from South America; Aurora is our only one who isn't Hispanic. She is from Korea.
We have had the older girls since they were small; but we have had Tiffany for five years (since she was three), and Aurora for nearly three. They have been nothing but a big blessing to both Ken and myself, and they bring us endless moments of joy!
God has blessed us with our children; we tried to have children, but found that we were unable to; so this was what led us to try adoption. Oh, we could have adopted children who were healthy, but we heard that disabled children (or children older than the age of two years) often languished in foster homes or institutions, with nobody to love them; and so this was why we decided to adopt children who had special needs. Which is why we now have five daughters with disabilities; yet, as our children, we don't see their problems; all we see are our daughters! They are all wonderful kids with good hearts, and they are so sweet and loving!
How did you start adopting; and how long ago has it been since you first adopted? Why did you make the decision to adopt, and do you have help whenever you need a break? (Seems to me that you need a break; you have quite a big family there! Over 50 kids. WOW! How DO you do it? I would go CRAZY; five is more than enough for me! LOL)
Where are all your kids from, and do you have any that are Americans such as yourself? What is the hardest challenge of raising so many kids, and how do you keep things in order? I would love to find out because I just can't imagine parenting 50 kids! That is so amazing just to think about!
Well, Louisiana, I will let you go for now. I just wanted to let you know that I read an article about you, and I was quite impressed upon learning about your special needs family! What a big heart you have; God is going to bless you mightily when you get to Heaven! God bless you, and thank you for sharing your beautiful family with me!
Most sincerely yours, Rosamunde (Rosie) Clarice Bercegeay, R.N., in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (adoptive parent to five girls, all with disabilities).
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Reviewed by P. Michaels
10/5/2004
Karen, that is a question that I would ask. How could anyone deal with fifty children with special needs without help? Good question.
Karen Darling!
Truly.. is there any end to your imagination? I struggle to craft a single novel into a readable work and you just seem to produce these amazing stories at an unreal rate!
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
A wicked Cajun Fairy named Robes Pierre entered the impenetrable Magical doll land of Sha Bebe. Queen Faustina, the ruler of the doll land, thought she had destroyed him, but he's back! Will the doll land survive his evil ways?
A wicked Cajun Fairy named Robes Pierre entered the impenetrable Magical doll land of Sha Bebe. Queen Faustina, the ruler of the doll land, thought she had destroyed him, but he's back! Will the doll land survive his evil ways?
Sunday, the 3rd of October, 2004~
