I am the adoptive parent of 50 children. Not just ANY child, mind you; I am the adoptive parent of 50 "special-needs" children, meaning that they are older than the age of one year, are part of a specific "sibling group" where the siblings CANNOT be separated, are of mixed racial parentage (such as in the case of one of my adopted daughters, Ronee', who is nine now), or are physically or mentally handicapped, or, as in the cases of Jodie, Roberto, and Todd, BOTH. Quite a few of these children have heartrending disabilities that would be guaranteed to try the patience of even the most stalwart of people, and quite a few have demanding medical problems that require a lot of time and care.
Like Ronee', for example. She is now nine, nine-and-a-half, but she has obvious physical problems that require her to walk with the aid of forearm crutches and leg braces, and she is often in a lot of pain due to systemic-onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She also has bronchial asthma and is prone to attacks of breathing problems that have put her into the hospital at times. She also has allergies and can't eat certain things or be exposed to certain things, or she could get very sick and possibly die as a result. So we have to be extremely careful with her. She also is a "gifted" child, and she is very verbal and intelligent for her age. She doesn't like being babied or coddled in any way, and she WILL tell you that in a hurry! Raising such a child DEFINITELY presents its challenges because you NEVER know WHAT she is going to say or HOW she is going to react during a particular situation! (*A NOTE: Ronee' 's asthma and allergies ARE improving, and she isn't as seriously bothered by them as she once was, excepting for peanuts or beestings; but that's about it. Those are her two worst allergies; the others are MUCH improved!!*)
Or her brother, Johnny--Johnathon, really, but we call him "Johnny"--, who is also nine-and-a-half. Johnny is also quite verbal and is smart, but he isn't that gifted intellectually. He is more the normal of the two when it comes to intelligence; but he is NOT, in ANY way, dumb or stupid! He is gifted in other areas, such as music or figuring out how to do a puzzle or a computer program. Johnny is also quite a challenge medically because he so happens to be dying. He has a progressive neuromuscular disease that is robbing his muscles of strength, and in time he will die he will be so weak. He is in a wheelchair most of the time, but he DOES use forearm crutches for shorter distances for walking. He also has seizures and has convulsions, and he also suffers from breathing problems due to his lungs getting weaker from the muscular dystrophy. In addition, he is hard-of-hearing (he wears hearing aids) and is visually-impaired (he wears thick glasses in order to see better). As I write this down, Johnny is presently in the hospital; he is recovering from a severe seizure and a breathing crisis; he had stopped breathing and had to be revived by the paramedics. He IS doing better (THANK GOD!), but he will probably be in the hospital for a few days.
But there are others who have it even worse than Johnny or Ronee' do. Todd and Jodie are 10 and 12 years old respectively, but both are more like big infants than the young children they happen to be. They cannot walk, talk, feed themselves, dress themselves, read, write, or do anything normal 10- to 12-year-olds can do. They are fed by a gastro tube in their bellies, and they wear diapers, as they cannot go to the bathroom on their own. They also cannot learn, as both are profoundly retarded. They will probably never learn to write or read or do anything a normal child can do. They are just too disabled to do so. But they DO know how to show love, and they DO know how to show emotion. I can easily tell when they are sad or happy or uncomfortable, and, in their own silent way, they will let me know just how they are feeling at a particular moment or will let me know they need to be changed or are feeling hungry.
Another one who has especially heartbreaking handicaps is Deborah--"Debby"--, who is 12 as well. She is NOT mentally disabled, but she IS severely physically disabled. She was born with spina bifida, which has left her lower half paralyzed and functually useless, and she was also born without arms or hands. She pushes her wheelchair with her chin, and she writes by having a pen or a pencil placed between her teeth; and she feeds herself. (She mainly needs help with getting dressed.) She also has severe breathing problems and lung damage; for this reason she has to wear supplimental oxygen by means of tubes in her nose. But despite her overwhelming problems, Deborah is a very happy and well-adjusted little girl who has a lot going for her. She loves to sing, and she has lots of friends.
But there are other kids in our family who are NOT disabled in ANY way. They are as normal as most kids their age; the ONLY reason they were put up for adoption was because a parent (or PARENTS) died, or because their home situation was so bad. Like Barbara, who is 13. She is quite healthy, but she lost her parents at the age of 6 and had nobody to take her in until we happened to hear about her and decided to adopt her as our own. She has proven to be a scrappy little thing, quite tomboyish in nature, but she has a soft heart and doesn't let a lot of things bother her. She CAN be tender when the moment calls for it, and she is a very loving and giving child. (Okay, YOUNG LADY, rather!!)
Raising such children requires the patience of a saint, iron nerves, a tightly adhered to schedule, plenty of time, and above all, plenty of intestinal fortitude. But they are ALL good children, and I would lay down my life for each and every one of these beautiful, precious Gifts from God. All are unique, and ALL are incredibly special in their own way; and Bill (he's my husband of 11 years) and I can't imagine our lives without ANY of them! They have each put a special place in our hearts, and they are all equally loved and cherished by the two of us.
I just hope that they are successful and happy at whatever God decides for them to do.
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DEDICATED WITH **MUCH LOVE** TO:
Ronee', Johnathon, Dwerlina, Lightning, Stephanie, Tanya, Melizza, Michael, Anh Kim, Richard, Deborah, Dianna, Barbara,
Todd Michael Christopher, Starlight Melody, Summer Song, Camey and Tammi, Porter, Louise and Elise, Danita, Gemini, Jodie, Sylvia, Kecia and LaGloria, Heather, Trude Annike, Robertito, Jeraldo, Sergei, Mai Lee, Pu Li, Andre' and Sunshine Lee, Jameela, Loueva and LaVella, Rhiannon, Chrissie, Sun Hee Acadiana, Mario, Enriquesa, Monica, Jo-El, Tri Tich Anh, Tran, Kwame' Jordan, and Benjamin.
And to my Precious Grandbabies, Jamee Nichelle, Le'Andre' Reaux, and Derick William.
Love you all,
Your Loving Maman.
Jesus blessed me and your daddy with each and every one of you! You are the sunshine and lights of our lives!! God bless each and every one of you!!
i rated this one because i think anybody who raises special needs children are angels, and this story is one of my favorites i have written about "the family sandusky".
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.
It's almost Christmas. Lynn Basil is writing her last book about a secret entrance into the magical doll land of Sha Bebe that she loves so much. Bagannos have taken over the world! Lynn finally meets her dolls in real life. Can she write in a Secret
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?
