I am the mother of fifty-three children, most of them being disabled in one way or another.

My children's disabilities include a wide spectrum: arthritis, cerebral palsy of varying degrees, muscular dystrophy, learning difficulties, vision/hearing impairments, missing limbs (either by birth or by accident or illness), paralysis, mental retardation, scars from burns and scalds, facial deformity, and asthma/severe allergies.

My children come from all over the world: the U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Iran, Africa, Russia, China, Japan, Vietnam, Romania, Sri Lanka, Italy, France, Bosnia-Hergezovina, Korea, and Malaysia. They now range in age from one-and-a-half years all the way to 23 1/2.

We have gone through hell and high water on account of our children. They have put us through some of the most unbelievable experiences, and they have also brought us countless moments of joy. A lot of them  have surpassed the expectations put upon them by doctors. They are a living testament to the triumph of the human spirit.

If anything, our children have brought my husband (Bill) and myself closer together. Sure, we work for a living, both of us (I am a nurse, my husband works at Wal*Mart), but our world is our children, and making sure that they have the best life possible. They may be disabled, but that doesn't matter. We want them to experience life just like any other child, and we want them to have a chance at succeeding. We have taught them that the world is often a cruel, unforgiving place to people who are "different", but with the right attitude/tenacity, they can make it just fine.

~Louisiana Sandusky, mother to 53 children (most with special needs), Nashville, Tennessee.

We have three children now: a little boy (Travis) and two little girls (Reba and Loretta). They are a challenge at times, but they are three of the most loving, sweetest children we could have ever hoped for.

We are going to be adding a new little girl to our family, who we will call Wynonna. She is the first child to be adopted that is disabled. She was born with part of her brain missing, and she has accompanying physical disabilities. We know that the challenges she faces are seemingly unsurmountable, but we will do everything in our power to give Wy a good life and to make suer that she knows that she is loved.

~Jenna Meadows, mother to three small children (soon to be a mother to a fourth), Louisville, Kentucky.

I am disabled myself (I have spina bifida), but that hasn't stopped me from adopting nearly twenty children. Our children range from almost a year to their late teens, and they have disabilities as well. Their disabilities range from autism, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation to traumatic amputation, spina bifida, and trauma induced by abuse or traumatic events that shaped their early lives.

I want to make sure that the children have every advantage of making it in life, and I want them to have a firm foundation in the church. I want them to know that they can make it in whatever they choose to do, and that if they ever do have a problem, they can always come to me for advice/assistance.

~Kendra Williams, mother to nearly twenty children (all with special needs), Soulsbysville, California.

Like my friend, Kendra (we have been friends ever since we were young; we grew up together), I have always dreamed of having kids. It seemed that I was to realize my dream when my world came crashing down. After suffering what seemed like weeks of unexplained muscle weakness, I was tested, and I was found to have Becker's muscular dystrophy.

Suddenly, my whole world as I knew it changed. But that didn't stop me from trying to have children. That dream came true with the birth of our daughter, Ariel. Ariel seemed like a model child: intelligent, sweet-natured, fun to be with. She has had everything going for her, but then came the shocking diagnosis of the same disease that I had when she, like me, had unexplained muscle weakness.

That only made me love her more. I want to be there for her on her bad days, and she knows that she and I have a connection, a connection that was beyond our control. She knows that I have bad days too, but the pain has been lessened somewhat with the birth of our second daughter, Felicity, who is just a few months old and is the cutest little thing!

Who knows? We may add to our family and try adoption; but so far we are very happy with our daughters and we feel that our world is somehow complete. We have been incredibly moved by Kendra and her determination to raise children nobody else wanted; she has been an inspiration to us, and she has not let her own physical problems from becoming a mother.

~Louisa Mason, mother to three daughters, Soulsbysville, California.

My husband, David, and myself, have NOT adopted any chlidren, but we have a star in our only child, Rebekkah Rachel, who is now twelve. She is a ballerina in the making, and she recently realized a dream when she was chosen to dance in "Swan Lake". She did a beautiful job, and as we watched her dance gracefully across the stage, we couldn't help BUT be moved to tears.

Rebekkah also happens to have disabilities. She was born with the inability to feel pain; so if she gets hurt or burned somehow she doens't even know it. She is sometimes prone to infections, and she has been in the hospital several times because of infections from her accidentally banging an arm or a leg against something. Other than that, she is a normal twelve year old girl: always giggling, spending time on the phone or on her computer, e-mailing her friends, dancing every moment she can possibly get, practicing her skills as a ballerina, drawing, reading, going to temple and church every week. She hasn't really let her problems stop her, and we are always amazed at her courage.

Rebekkah also happens to have a boyfriend. Her boyfriend is 13, but he is a sweet-natured little boy who has a very good head on his shoulders.

Her boyfriend is in a wheelchair. He has Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.

While his future is uncertain, Johnny has made the most out of life, and he has already outlived doctors' predictions by eight years. He wasn't expected to live beyond the age of five: he is now thirteen and still can do things for himself. If not, he has the help of family members and his canine companion, who acts as his arms and legs when he is having a weak day or when he drops things.

I think that Johnny and Rebekkah are good for one another. I know they are looking forward to seeing each other again (I do plan on going to Tennessee this summer, so Rebekkah can see Johnny and I can see Louie, his mother), and I know that we will have a wonderful time. Louisiana is an amazing woman. She works full time, she has written several books, and she is raising an incredible fifty-three children (most with special needs). I don't know how she does it (or HOW she finds the time!), but she does, and she wears ME out whenever I see her! She is absolutely INCREDIBLE!

~Naomi Beth Cohen, mother to one daughter with special needs, Sacramento, California.

I am the mother of 11 children who range in age from 17 down to a year. All of them are disabled, some of them quite severely. Our oldest child came to us from India, but the others came from Alaska, where we live. (We live in Sitka.)

The challenges of raising children with disabilities has at times been daunting (particularly if one gets sick or ends up in the hospital for whatever reason it may be), but we wouldn't trade them for all the money or gold in the world. Our children have brought us incredible moments of joy, and they have proven time and time again to be courageous in the face of heartbreaking odds.

I am fortunate to have the assistance of my loving husband, Bob, who has been marvelous in times of crisis. While I am wigging out, he remains calm and collected, and he somehow makes things all right again.

~Anna Arnette King, mother to 11 children, all with special needs, Sitka, Alaska.

I am the mother to 15 children who range in age from two on up to teenagerhood. Most of them are disabled, but they are still good kids, and they make my life better.

My husband, Franklin, and I have adopted the main majority of our kids, but they have fit in with our own birth children beautifully. They all get along great, and the older kids help out with the younger kids.

If there is a problem, we can always call on friends or neighbors for assistance, and we can also talk to other adoptive parents who face the exact same challenges that we do. This way, we learn that we aren't alone, and that there are many other people who are parenting children with special needs.

~Loretta Mon'ique Evans, mother to 15 children, most with special needs, Columbus, Ohio.