Louisiana writes to a woman in Texas who contacted her.
Tuesday, August 8, 2006, Nashville, Tennessee, 10:07 a.m., D.S.T.~
Dear Eileen Marie~
Thank you for your taking the time to write to me; it was good to hear from you! I will be more than happy to answer any questions that you might have!
I am sorry you were unable to have children. I am glad you are looking into adoption. Adoption has been nothing but a blessing for my husband, Bill, and myself; and it has gotten to the point to where we cannot imagine our family without any of the children! :)
Oour children range in age from two on up to 24, and I am a six-time grandma, believe it or not! LOL They come from all over the world: the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Latin America (Guatemala), Africa, Romania, France, the Netherlands, Bosnia Hergozovina (spelling?), Italy, Iran, India, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Russia, Malaysia, and China.
We aare adding yet another child: a little boy from Israel! You can imagine the excitement we are feeling at the current time! :)
Most of our children are disabled. Some have "hidden" disabilities (epilepsy, deafness, learning disabilities, etc.) while others have disabilities that you can plainly see once you see them in person. You cannot hide their wheelchairs, braces, canes, crutches, glasses, prosthetic limbs, or short stature. Yet they are among the sweetest, liveliest, happiest children you'd ever want to meet! :)
We started with just two children (Johnathon and Ronee'). We added seven more, instantly swelling our small family of four to a family of nine overnight. The children just kept coming; we are now the parents to over fifty children, most of them with special needs!
We didn't think we would end up with so many children, but once we saw their beautiful faces, we couldn't resist. We could not say no! :) We only ended up falling in love with them once they came to us, and although there were times that were hard at first, it didn't take long for them to adjust, and soon we became a family!
Now on to your questions:
Adoption is overwhelming, but once you start, it is exciting to think that a child who is in need of a loving family may be yours. This is when you start buying toys or clothes for your potential child, and this is when you start working on making a place for them. That is exciting in itself, but the waiting and the visits from the home study team or the adoption caseworker can be daunting. That is only a part of the adoption process; they want to make sure that everything is going to go smoothly and that you are the right parents for the job.
Once the call comes, the call that confirms that you are going to get a particular child, then the joy you may feel may be indescribable. I know it is for us whenever a new child comes our way. It is akin to having a baby; you just have to wait a little longer is all! The joy never fades, no matter how many times we have experienced it!
We welcome any child with open arms, and to us, their disabilities don't matter. What does matter is that a child in need has come to us, and we are more than ready to love them and give them a chance! Our children are a conglomorate of cultures, racial backgrounds, and disabilities, but by the Miracle of adoption, they are now ours, legally and permanently! :)
Their disabilities or medical problems can be a daunting task, but I am a registered nurse (8+ years), so whenever a problem does crop up, I can help them, or if need be, call for an ambulance or medical help. I can make them comfortable or try to comfort them during any medical crisis, but in the meantime, on the inside, I am falling apart! LOL That is probably one of the hardest things I have to deal with--staying strong for my child in times of medical drama! I have to be brave for them; otherwise, they sense my fear, which only makes them all the more frightened. It is a vicious circle, and I have had to work hard to control my emotions/fears when one of my children are sick or hurt!
Surprisingly, we haven't had to journey to foreign lands to obtain our children--no, I take that back. I did go to Sri Lanka almost two years ago, and it was there while I was helping the tsunami victims when I first saw Arjun Ravi and Rani Kalpana. (Both Rani and Arjun lost their families in the tsunami.) It wasn't hard to fall in love with them, and they ended up becoming two of my adopted children! They have now been in America over a year now, and they now act like typical "American" kids! They both speak English beautifully, and their favorite food is like any other American child's: pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and tacos! LOL
I hope some of these answers have been the ones you have been seeking. I have written from what I have experienced as an adoptive parent, and I hope I have made it easier for you. Please do get in touch with me if you have any further questions. I will, in the meantime, send you a listing of adoption agencies I have dealt with on a personal basis, and also from my work with the adoption community I run. I help families just like yours with the adoption process, and I help them get started. I have worked with many families here and abroad (Canada, Japan, England), and we still keep in close contact with one another.
Now, I may not answer you right away, but you have to remember this: I work full time, and I have over fifty children to raise. But it is a life I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world: my children are my life, and I will do anything possible to ensure their happiness in a world not geared to their specific special needs, and also teach other people that people with special needs, children or adults, can offer so much to the world! :) Please understand this, and know the reason why I may not write as soon as you would like.
Take care, Eileen, and God bless you and Dwight! I will be more than happy to get you started! In the meantime, I will send you copies of my books "A Family Made Out Of Miracles And Rainbows" and "...And The Miracles Continue". Let me know when you get them, and I hope you enjoy them!
I will be looking for your letter!
All the best as you start your adoption journey!
Love, a new friend in Tennessee, Louisiana Mayrah Sandusky (mamma to 54--soon to be 55--Miracle Children). :D
Karen, Wow! Raising your own kids is a big task. Raising so many adopted kids is amazing! Louie is a remarkable woman with an enormous heart and gallons of love. Her advice to Eileen is pure. I wish these two women and indeed all mothers and those who adopt, my best wishes and prayers. Thanks for sharing this, Karen.
God Bless
Love always
Lena
Adoption is one of the best things you can find, providing a loving and caring home to a child that is lacking the same for whichever reasons is, a wonderful thing to do and to receive. Wonderful done!
Love and Hugs, B&R
