My name is Evelyn (Eve) Robichaud. I live in Conyers, Georgia, with my husband, Wilbur, and our six kids: Ezrah Grace (15), Ethan Chase (13), Yolanda Michelle (11), Rylie Michaela (9), Tiberius Maxwell (6), and Violeta Marie (5). All of our children are adopted.
That shouldn't matter: we love them regardless. We weren't able to have children, so Wilbur and I did the next best thing: we turned to adoption; we adopted children nobody else wanted. Either because they wer too old, of a different race (or culture), or disabled, they were deemed "unadoptable"; however, we looked past all that and accepted them as our own; we looked past the obvious differences and saw them as little boys and girls who all needed a home or a family they could call their own.
Let's see. Ezrah, Yolanda, and Violeta are all from South America: Ezrah and Yolanda came to us from Brazil; Violeta came to us from Ecquador. They all speak Spanish and English. They also have cerebral palsy; all walk with crutches and braces on their legs; other than that, they are perfectly healthy.
Ethan is blind (he uses a cane or a guide dog for getting around); he came to us from India eight years ago when he was only five. He is the one we've had the longest. He is a very loving, open little boy who isn't afraid to share his heart or his feelings.
Rylie has Down syndrome; she goes to a special school for mentally disabled children, where they help her with her socialization and other skills, so she can become self-sufficient when she is older. She joined our family from Saudi Arabia.
And then there's Tiberius Maxwell, who has spina bifida. He came to us from Poland. He's the sickliest one out of the children: he is frequently in and out of the hospital because of one thing or another. We have gotten more grey hairs on account of him having yet another breathing crisis or another nasty infection. He cannot walk at all, but he can talk, see, and hear just fine. It's just his lungs and lower limbs that are messed up. He's seen more heartache and bad times than anyone has a right to. (Besides the spina bifida, he has asthma and very weak lungs: he has to have breathing treatments twice a day, physiotherapy three times a day, and at night, he wears oxygen as he sleeps.)
In fact now, as I write this, we (we being Wilbur and myself) are sitting in the lobby of the Emergency Room of our local hospital while we wait for the doctor to come talk to us about Tiberius. He had another attack; he was really struggling to breathe, so we had no choice but to bring him to the ER. We can hear him screaming; I want nothing more than to walk in, snatch my baby boy off the table, and walk out of the ER, and take him home; I would probably provide better care! Besides, if he has a crisis, I know what to do: I have had nurse training before I decided to change careers; I wanted to be a mother instead.
It isn't easy parenting children who have such significant special needs, but as I said earlier, I was ready (and willing) to love children nobody else would, and so this is why we ended up with the children we have now and are now a family. It is sometimes filled with drama and uncertainty, but there are many more good times, so it all balances out, and I wouldn't trade any of it for the world! I love my kids, and I will do anything possible to make sure they are happy, healthy, or at least comfortable!
Well, the doctor is here, so I will go now. I will keep you up to date about Tiberius; hopefully it isn't anything too serious. Just say a quick parayer on his behalf; I would appreciate it very much! God bless you and take care!
~Sincerely, Evelyn Robichaud. :)
*to be continued.*
