The Wright family finds out more about their newly adopted daughter, Korina, than they wanted to.
As promised, we took little Korina Thu Grace to see Dr. Ha, the children's pediatrician, to see what was going on with her. We went as a family; while the kids played or read magazines in the waiting room, Greg and I went with Korina to see the doctor.
Dr. Ha carefully examined our little daughter. Korina cried or screamed throughout the entire ordeal; she was scared to death. He nearly dropped his instruments when he looked inside her ear canal and also when he checked inside her mouth.
"I'm afraid it's bad news", he said. "The child has one of the worst cases of gum disease and dental decay I've ever seen. She also has a perforated eardrum; her entire ear canal is riddled with infection".
He continued: "She's also undernourished--hence her small size and her weight; she only weighs 20 pounds; a child her age should weigh in the 30-40 pound range. In addition, she was born with spina bifida; that's why her legs are the way they are. She apparently had surgery when she was a baby, but they botched it up; she has scar tissue all over her back. There's also evidence that she's been physically as well as sexually abused".
At the news, Greg and I gasped. We knew it was bad; we just didn't think it was this bad. Our daughter had been abused, and yet we weren't told about it by the adoption agency. It's no wonder she was so silent, so scared.
"What can we do? What can we do to help her?" I asked.
"Get her into the dentist's so he can repair her teeth. Also, try to feed her nourishing foods and fruits to build her immune system up, so she won't get sick so easily. Also, try to be patient with her; she is unfamiliar to our customs, this country. She's only been in America a few days; she is probably terribly frightened; everything is so new, unfamiliar to her."
"What about her language barriers?" Greg intoned.
"Be patient with her. Teach her new words in English. Keep talking to her, softly, so she will get used to the sounds of your voices, not to mention, the language. Teach her that you are her parents now, that you are her mommy and daddy, that you're her new family now", the doctor explained. "There are a lot of things you can do to help her adjust".
"It's going to take time; things won't happen overnight", he continued. "I am sure that with the help from your other children, little Korina will learn to fit in, and soon, the world won't seem so frightening to her".
"Okay, but what about her legs? We don't have a wheelchair or crutches for her", I said. "We've never had a child with a disability; yet we wanted to take the chance and take one in to raise as our own".
"Which is a very commendable thing to do. Don't worry about the wheelchair or crutches. I will personally take care of that. I will do anything possible to help your beautiful new daughter, and I will have my colleage Dr. Denton, the pediatric dentist here at the clinic perform her dental work at a reduced rate", Dr. Ha said. "I will also prescribe the needed antibiotics to take care of the infection in her mouth and ear canals. We have to get her well before we can continue".
I smiled gratefully at Dr. Ha. He was a medical doctor; yet he had a heart of compassion. He took wonderful care of Kaylie, Kensington, and Kristmas when they were sick; he promised to do the same with Korina. He knew we were struggling with bills; trying to raise three (now four) children was expensive, and with the holidays coming up, it was only going to get worse.
He gave Korina a shot in the arm (she howled, enraged, the whole time), then gave her a purple piece of gum, which she promptly threw on the floor. She continued to howl as he handed her back to me.
"I will give her the rest of her required shots in the coming weeks", he said. "Please bring her back in a few weeks, and schedule that appointment with Dr. Denton; it's important to get her gums and teeth back in shape, or there'll be more problems down the road--not to mention, more expense on your part".
"Thanks", we said as we walked out of his office. We were relieved, yet saddened to learn of her various medical problems, many, of which, warrented immediate intervention. Yet we would do anything to help our ailing daughter; we were willing to take that chance.
Dear Karen, the story is great and sad, I hope that this story was never reel as it break my heart. Emile
Reviewed by d. k
11/23/2007
A sad story for such a wee little child to have gone through in such short years. I can only imagine the road that lies ahead for this family, however with love and lots of patience Korina will learn to trust again. Great write my friend!
It looks like Korina has a long road ahead of her, with health and emotional issues. Her new family will be with her every step of the way...great story line, Karen
love and peace, Carole~
